KZ-Gedenkstätte Mauthausen

About the museum

The Mauthausen concentration camp existed from 1938 to 1945 and was the center of a system of more than 40 subcamps. Around 190,000 people were imprisoned here, at least 90,000 of them were killed. After the liberation, the US Army and then the Soviet Army used the site. On June 20, 1947, the Soviet occupying power handed the camp over to the Republic of Austria with the requirement to create a dignified memorial.

At the opening in spring 1949 as the "Öffentliches Denkmal Mauthausen", large parts of the camp had already disappeared: barracks had been burned down for disease control, remnants had been used as building material by the local population, and most prisoner barracks were later removed. A central monument was erected on the preserved roll-call square; in the area of the former SS barracks a memorial park was created, in which numerous states and victim groups erected their own memorials. In the 1960s cemeteries were laid out, in which more than 14,000 victims are buried today.

Since 1970 the former Reviergebäude (infirmary building) has served as a museum. With the visitor center built in 2003, the redesign of the memorial began; in 2013 two new permanent exhibitions and the "Raum der Namen" for the dead of the camp and its subcamps were created. Today the memorial is at once a crime scene, place of commemoration, cemetery and site of political and historical education. As a place to visit, it comprises the grounds of the former protective custody camp with roll-call square, barracks, crematorium and quarry edge.

Highlights

• Permanent exhibition "Das Konzentrationslager Mauthausen 1938–1945"
• Exhibition "Der Tatort Mauthausen" with crematorium area and gas chamber site
• "Raum der Namen" for the dead of Mauthausen and its subcamps
• Memorial park with monuments from many nations
• Public guided tour and Virtual Guide in 12 languages

Permanent exhibitions

• Das Konzentrationslager Mauthausen 1938–1945 – Permanent exhibition in the former Reviergebäude on the history of the concentration camp from 1938 to 1945.
• Der Tatort Mauthausen. Eine Spurensuche – Exhibition in the lower level of the museum building, in the area of the crematorium and former gas chamber, as a search for traces at the crime scene.
• Raum der Namen – Memorial room with the names of the dead of the Mauthausen concentration camp and its subcamps.

Founded

1949

Operated by

KZ-Gedenkstätte Mauthausen / Mauthausen Memorial

Admission & discounts

Admission is free.

Access to the memorial grounds and visits to the exhibitions are free and possible without registration; only guided tours, workshops and the audio guide cost money.

Accessibility

• Partially wheelchair accessible
• Elevator
• Accessible restroom
• Accessible parking
• Service dogs welcome
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials
• Audio description: no information

The visitor center, bookshop, bistro, the commandant's building and the museum (former Reviergebäude) are barrier-free; the camp area can be reached by elevator in the garage courtyard or via a path through the memorial park, and almost all barracks have ramps. Not barrier-free are Barrack 11, the detention building, the solemn area with Crematorium I, the basement of the laundry barrack and the Todesstiege. Wheelchair loans by prior registration (education@mauthausen-memorial.org), four accessible parking spaces, guide dogs and assistance dogs allowed. Virtual Guide and brochure in Easy Language, as well as the format "Exklusiv – Inklusiv" (booking required).

Kids & families

Only partly suitable for kidsRecommended for ages 14+

The memorial recommends a visit only from age 14; dogs and other animals are not allowed. Tours are aimed at young people from 14 years on.

Getting there & parking

From the station, the prisoners' route is about 4 km on foot to the memorial (audio path in the Virtual Guide). Taxi Brixner: +43 7238 2439. Bicycle stands in front of the visitor center, e-bike battery charging station opposite the bistro.

Amenities & dining

• Café
• Museum shop
• Lockers

Bistro Mauthausen Memorial (run by Diakoniewerk; March to October daily 09:00–17:00, otherwise Tue–Sun 09:00–16:00) and bookshop with information at the visitor center; lockers in the bookshop; drinking water fountain.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit