Storm in Austria: Nazi camp to be demolished for supermarket construction
Heavy machinery has arrived at the site of a former Mauthausen subcamp, prompting the Mauthausen Memorial Committee to demand an immediate halt to construction. The controversy also involves the mayor's connection to a multi-million euro commercial deal.
Construction work has begun on the site of a former subcamp of the Mauthausen concentration camp in Austria, sparking outrage among memorial organizations. The site, where hundreds of women were imprisoned during the Nazi regime, is slated to become a supermarket and a large logistics center for refrigerated food products. Bulldozers and heavy machinery have already been deployed to the area, and initial site preparation is underway.
The Mauthausen Memorial Committee in Austria has called for an immediate halt to the project, arguing that the remaining open space must be preserved as a memorial site, according to the German magazine Spiegel. The International Mauthausen Committee also opposes the commercial development, asserting that it violates established standards for commemorating sites of Nazi crimes.
The subcamp in Laupersdorf, located approximately 30 km south of Vienna, operated from September 1944 to April 1945. About 400 women were held there and forced to work at a nearby ammunition factory in Hirtenberg. During the camp's liquidation, the prisoners were forced on a death march to the Mauthausen concentration camp, where many perished.
The Mauthausen Memorial Committee warns that the construction could permanently erase the physical remnants of Nazi atrocities. A statement published by the committee reads:
"Traces of the Nazi past and the crimes committed then are being destroyed and buried under a layer of gravel, steel, and concrete, thus becoming invisible forever."
The controversy surrounding the project intensified following revelations about the deal. The mayor of Laupersdorf, Andreas Ramharter, is facing heavy criticism: a real estate company he owns sold the plots for 15.25 million euros (approximately 65 million shekels). Reports indicate that the rezoning of the land generated an additional profit of 1.34 million euros (about 5.7 million shekels) for the mayor. Ramharter has defended his conduct, claiming he sees nothing wrong with the transactions.
Meanwhile, infrastructure work on the site continues. The Mauthausen Memorial Committee and other organizations are demanding a suspension of all activities before the historical site is irreversibly covered, arguing that this situation serves as a test of how Austria manages its Nazi-era subcamp sites.
