Mauthausen concentration camp

Mauthausen was a Nazi concentration camp complex in Upper Austria established after the 1938 Anschluss; it became one of the largest and most notorious camps in German-controlled territory. Today it is preserved as a memorial and museum documenting the camp system and its victims.

Visitors encounter preserved barracks, the former quarry where forced labour took place, the crematoria and extensive exhibitions that explain the site’s history. Outdoor monuments and the quarry area form central elements of the memorial landscape.

The camp was established by the Nazi regime beginning in 1938 and was used for forced labour, imprisonment and mass killings until liberation in May 1945. Thousands of prisoners from across Europe were held there and many were killed on site or died from the conditions.

The memorial sits close to the town of Mauthausen in Upper Austria, on a hillside above the Danube and roughly 20 kilometres east of the city of Linz.

• Memorial site: The site functions today as a national memorial and museum with preserved camp structures, exhibitions and guided information for visitors.
• Liberation and conduct: The complex was liberated by United States forces in May 1945 and contains outdoor monuments and preserved areas that require respectful behaviour from visitors.

What to See #

• Quarry: A former granite quarry on the hillside where prisoners were forced to work under brutal conditions; the quarry area remains a central, preserved element of the complex.
• Crematoria and camp buildings: The crematoria block and adjacent preserved camp buildings, which form the core of the memorial site and exhibition areas documenting camp history.
• Memorial and exhibition centre: A visitor and exhibition centre with displays, memorials and preserved structures established to document the camp's history and commemorate victims.