Developments on the site of the former Hirtenberg concentration camp
09.07.2026
Mauthausen Memorial makes a renewed appeal
Construction work on the remaining foundation ruins of the former Hirtenberg concentration camp in Lower Austria is progressing, according to recent national and international media reports.
Since the plans for the controversial development of the former concentration camp site came to light, the Mauthausen Memorial has taken a stand against them and, together with the Mauthausen Committee Austria, has published the following statement in conjunction with the local initiative ‘Mauthausen Memorial – Hirtenberg Satellite Camp’:
In it, they warned that the development would irrevocably destroy the last remaining historical vestiges of the concentration camp and make it impossible to commemorate the victims with dignity.
It is therefore essential to call for the protection of the camp’s architectural remains as important sources of learning and remembrance, and to preserve them accordingly. Only in this way can the foundations be laid for a credible process of coming to terms with the past and for raising awareness of the need to assume historical responsibility, which has also attracted international attention.
The ongoing development of the site with industrial units stands in stark contrast to this intention.
The site is now located in the municipality of Leobersdorf. Despite protests against the plan to build industrial units here, and several discussions with the local council, construction work on the former concentration camp site is pressing ahead. In future, nothing here will serve as a reminder of the site’s history. Instead, warehouses for chilled and frozen food logistics are being built, which will be frequented by hundreds of lorries every day.
Between September 1944 and April 1945, around 400 women and girls (the average age was 23) were held captive at the Hirtenberg concentration camp and forced to carry out life-threatening hard labour in the munitions factory. After the camp was dissolved, the female prisoners were marched in a column to Mauthausen, and some of them were killed along the way.
The Mauthausen Concentration Camp Memorial appeals to the future users of the halls currently under construction: they should be mindful of the injustices that were committed at this site. The women who were tortured here have not been forgotten, and the public’s attention will continue to be focused on developments on the concentration camp site.