The Ebensee Concentration Camp Memorial (Ebensee Konzentrationslager Denkmal) stands on the site of a former Word War II concentration camp. It’s a commemoration of the thousands of inmates that lost their lives while forced to perform slave labor by German troops. Learn about the history of Ebensee Concentration Camp Memorial via a museum exhibition and pay your respects at the prisoner cemetery.
Ebensee concentration camp was established in 1943 for the construction of underground tunnels for armament research and development. It formed part of the Mauthausen-Gusen concentration camp, a group of around 100 camps located in Austria and southern Germany. Some 27,278 inmates, of whom up to 11,000 died, were sent to live and work in squalid conditions here. U.S. Army troops liberated the camp in May 1945, after which the barracks were destroyed.
Enter the original main entrance, through which new inmates would have got their first glimpse of the horrors that awaited them. The imprisoned men represented 20 European nations, with Polish, Hungarians and Soviets being the most prominent. They slept in overcrowded barracks and were forced to work day and night digging tunnels. Look for a plaque that honors the camp’s liberation and a glass wall with the names of the inmates.
Pause for thought at the cemetery, where thousands of bodies were buried in a concealed mass grave created by the SS. Prior to this, the corpses were either left in piles inside huts or sent to be cremated at the Mauthausen camp. Don’t miss the chance to walk through one of the prisoner-built tunnels. Inside it you’ll find exhibitions that retrace the history of the camp and the harrowing events that took place.
The camp is about 3 miles (5 kilometers) from the town center of Ebensee. Drivers can park for free outside the memorial.
Ebensee Concentration Camp Memorial is open from May through September and there’s an admission fee. Guided tours conducted by a local expert or former Polish inmate are available by prior reservation. Visit the memorial’s official website for more information.
