Ebensee, Mauthausen, cemetery of camp inmates, Austria

In the heart of the Salzkammergut region in Upper Austria, an extensive underground project of the Nazi regime was to be realized, which included the relocation of the Peenemünde rocket research center from northern Germany into a bomb-proof tunnel system. Due to severe lack of labor force during World War II, these tunnels were to be built with the extensive use of concentration camp prisoners. From 18 November 1943 to 6 May 1945, approximately 8,500 people died in the subcamp Ebensee marked as "Cement".

On 2 June 1946, the cemetery and monumental memorial were opened. The history of the Ebensee camp is today present only through a few traces: the stone vaulted passage of the former entrance to the camp, "Löwengang" (the electrified barbed wire fence between the camp and the quarry), the memorial area "KZ-Friedhof" and the entrance to one of the former tunnels – "Gedenkstollen" (memorial tunnel) with an exhibition. The Museum of Contemporary History Ebensee is responsible for the organization and maintenance of the memorial area. Groups and schools can arrange for a guided tour of the memorial area, including the memorial tunnel, and the Museum of Contemporary History by contacting the museum staff.

Gedenkstätte – Vom Vergessen zum Erinnern