2. Photography

Mauthausen Concentration Camp

Mauthausen is a concentration camp about 200KM west of Vienna. It has been very carefully preserved, maintained and documented. The horrors of WWII are there to see and hopefully learn from to not repeat ever again. Even as I write this, I think such atrocities are happening elsewhere. The people who died at the camp came from diverse origins: Jews of Austria, Jews who survived the frightening death marches from the eastern camps as the Red Army was advancing west, Spanish Republicans, politically active people, homosexuals etc. Much of the inmates staying places are gone, but the towers, the barbed wire fences, the gas chamber, the ovens to incinerate are still there to see and hopefully teach to never allow such an act to be perpetrated again. All the photos were shot with a Canon 20D, many at ISO 1600.
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  • Entrance to the camp. Right above the door was the symbol of the Third Reich which was taken down and replaced with a welcome banner when the Allied forces finally reached Mauthausen in 1945

    Entrance to the camp. Right above the door was the symbol of the Third Reich which was taken down and replaced with a welcome banner when the Allied forces finally reached Mauthausen in 1945

  • The first courtyard.

    The first courtyard.

  • The badges that were sewn on to the prisoner uniforms. An elaborate system to identify categorize them.

    The badges that were sewn on to the prisoner uniforms. An elaborate system to identify categorize them.

  • The "shower". Lice and maggots were indeed a problem - but the exercise of showering people in halls like this was meant to degrade them and break their morale.

    The "shower". Lice and maggots were indeed a problem - but the exercise of showering people in halls like this was meant to degrade them and break their morale.

  • The looming, ever present watch towers and the electrified fences.

    The looming, ever present watch towers and the electrified fences.

  • Corridors where many survivors or relatives have put up memorials.

    Corridors where many survivors or relatives have put up memorials.

  • Watch tower

    Watch tower

  • In the basement of this innocuous looking building are the gas chambers and the ovens.

    In the basement of this innocuous looking building are the gas chambers and the ovens.

  • The gas chamber. This was the place I wanted to see and in a way it was an anti-climax as there was nothing there but some plumbing. It then dawned on me how frighteningly efficient the killing mechanism was - the sheer simplicity of its design meant that it was robust and could work day after day after day...

    The gas chamber. This was the place I wanted to see and in a way it was an anti-climax as there was nothing there but some plumbing. It then dawned on me how frighteningly efficient the killing mechanism was - the sheer simplicity of its design meant that it was robust and could work day after day after day...

  • The cable which was pulled to release the gas.

    The cable which was pulled to release the gas.

  • The bodies were examined here to remove traces of identification and to remove jewelry and gold teeth.

    The bodies were examined here to remove traces of identification and to remove jewelry and gold teeth.

  • The ovens were built by private companies that competed to win contracts to build these ovens to cremate the people killed in the gas chambers. The designs are put up in the Mauthausen museum and the willingness of the the private enterprise to participate in this horror is shocking.

    The ovens were built by private companies that competed to win contracts to build these ovens to cremate the people killed in the gas chambers. The designs are put up in the Mauthausen museum and the willingness of the the private enterprise to participate in this horror is shocking.

  • Zykoln - the pellets that became the killer gas that was piped into the gas chambers.

    Zykoln - the pellets that became the killer gas that was piped into the gas chambers.

  • The laundry - mostly to wash the clothes of the soldiers and their families.

    The laundry - mostly to wash the clothes of the soldiers and their families.

  • A very poignant Jewish memorial.

    A very poignant Jewish memorial.

  • Memorial dedicated to the Romanians that died at Mauthausen.

    Memorial dedicated to the Romanians that died at Mauthausen.

  • Memorial at the entrance to the camp.

    Memorial at the entrance to the camp.

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    In the basement of this innocuous looking building are the gas chambers and the ovens.
    The gas chamber. This was the place I wanted to see and in a way it was an anti-climax as there was nothing there but some plumbing. It then dawned on me how frighteningly efficient the killing mechanism was - the sheer simplicity of its design meant that it was robust and could work day after day after day...
    The cable which was pulled to release the gas.