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The intention is already established in the program of the black and green government, yesterday the official decision of the government was made: the Republic of Austria will buy sections of the former concentration camp of Gusen.
To this end, negotiations will now begin with the landowners, the federal government decided. “The purchase of the remaining parts of the Gusen satellite camp is an important step this year, 75 years after liberation, to allow our historic responsibility to be followed by concrete action,” said Chancellor Sebastian Kurz (vice president). The measure aims to guarantee a dignified memory of the victims.
The government announced that the purchase would be based on an assessment of the existing market value of the properties. In carrying out the project, “pay attention to local and appropriate property prices,” the Interior Ministry emphasized.
When a conclusion is expected depends on the progress of the negotiations and therefore cannot yet be estimated. In either case, you want to negotiate with all the ready-to-sell owners of the remaining historic buildings and properties.
For the subsequent design, a feasibility study is already on the table, which provides four scenarios on how the area could be prepared for the public, the OÖN reported. The exact appearance of the site in the future will be decided once the purchase negotiations have been completed.
It was important “that a warning and a worthy monument be built in Gusen,” said Vice Chancellor Werner Kogler (Greens). Upper Austria Governor Thomas Stelzer (VP) recalled the “responsibility that comes from the dark hours of our history. Memorial sites are the places where this memory is kept alive. Therefore it is important to preserve these places for a contemporary memory. ” “
37,000 people killed
71,000 people were imprisoned in the Gusen camp, officially a subfield of the Mauthausen concentration camp, during the Nazi era. Around 37,000 were killed. The survivors were released on May 5, 1945.
Polish Ambassador: “We hope for a speedy conclusion”
In particular, Poland, where a particularly large number of victims come from, but also other nations have lobbied for Austria’s different handling of the remains of the Gusen camp in recent years.
Just this week, the Polish ambassador to Austria, Jolanta Roza Kozlowska, pressed in an OÖN interview: “I would have expected a purchase on liberation day,” he said after visiting the monument on May 5. The Nazi victims and their descendants deserved it, and last year Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki even announced that Poland would buy the remains of the former camp.
“We are pleased that Austria has decided to start the negotiations and we expect a speedy conclusion,” Kozlowska told OÖN yesterday. “We also hope that the Austrian government, Poland and other affected countries will participate in the design of the monument.”
“Negotiating and concluding a contract are two pairs of shoes”
LANGENSTEIN. Mayor Christian Aufreiter (SP) is positive about the government’s decision to buy the Gusen concentration camp in Langenstein. “Negotiations and contracting are two pairs of shoes.” They are about 40,000 square meters, which belong to three owners. Aufreiter hopes that the memorial project will be implemented “in close coordination with residents, the community and the region of conscience” after the contract has been signed. Martha Gammer of the Gusen Memorial Committee says: “Negotiations are a good first step. I hope something comes out of that. “
