While being here in Belgium I have learned more about WWII then I had ever learned back in Texas… But it was all put into perspective this past week. I was taken on a trip to Austria and Germany to visit two concentration camps.
We visited Mauthausen, a camp not too far from the city Linz .Then we visited a camp in Germany, Dachau. There was a museum inside one of the building there in the camp so I “liked” it a bit more… but like really isn't a word that I want to use when talking about concentration camps. I will make two separate blogs for each camp.
This is a recreation of the barracks that were once "home" to many of the prisoners. The originals were all burned to rid them of diseases. There were over 30, today there are just 6.
Within the camp there was a prison... today there is a memorial in the prison. While in the prison our guide told us a little story. One of the local towns persons housed two for the prisoners. She his them for quite awhile and after the liberation of the camp (Mauthausen was one of the last to be liberated) She was asked why she helped them. Her reply was I have a son and my husband who are out fighting in the war, and she hoped someone would help them if they needed it; just like she did for the two men she hid.
Here is the Roll call area. Roll was called each morning and if you did not respond when your number was called.. it wasn't good. Here is where we learned about the organisation of the camp. In each barrack one inmate was in charge of the group. There were different classifications of inmates each identified by a different colored triangle on their uniform. The people in charge of each group were normally thieves... not huge thieves but pick-pocketers and people who would commit little crimes like this. They were normally in charge of the others, either they were a political figure or of some political importance or had different religious views. With the "thieves" they could easily threaten the others and intimidate them and were also aware if any "under-the-table" business was going on such as sneaking food or plotting to escape.
Not too far outside of the camp gates you see a huge staircase. This staircase was walked by prisoners for "exercise" they would be forced to carry large stone pieces up the stairs. The would also be force to work in the quarry too.
While working in the Quarry the terrors of the camp did not end.... inmates would be picking away at rocks in the quarrys and SS officers wold join in, but they wouldnt be picking away at rocks....
While inmates would be transporting stones up the 182 steps officers would push them down knocking down the line of prisoners behind them....
In cold Austrian winters guards would spray water over the group then leave them to freeze to death in minus 10 degrees C weather.
It is estimated about 150,000 people died in Mauthausen.
After seeing the camp we were taken to see the Crematorium that has been turned into a memorial.
The part of the camp we visited was just a small portion that remains. All through the small village there are pieces left of the camp.
The portion of the camp we were able to see was just that... a portion. There were many sub camps and a much larger "base" camp that existed. Some of the structures have been demolished and only remembered by a map and others have been adapted to fit into the modern town. The original front gate to the camp... now a beautiful white house...
When troops liberated the camp they put to rest the overwhelming number of dead in a grave, this grave is one of the first things you see when you approach what is left of the camp.
