Gusen: New commemoration - jury Kürt designs for a concentration camp memorial!

Gusen: New commemoration - jury Kürt designs for a concentration camp memorial!

Gusen, Österreich - On June 16 and 17, 2025, an expert jury decided on the rating of the submissions for the EU-wide realization competition to expand and redesign the Gusen concentration camp memorial. This competition, which has been ongoing since September 2024, was initiated by the Austria Center for Castle in close cooperation with the Mauthausen concentration camp memorial. The aim is to further develop the existing memorial into a sustainable commemorative and educational location that takes into account the requirements of a contemporary memorial.

The competition is two -stage, open and anonymous. The basis of the designs is a master plan that was developed with various interest groups as part of a one and a half year participation process. It is about the landscape planning, building artificial and urban development overall design of several areas of the former warehouse area. At the end of January, eight designs were selected in the first jury session that were invited to the second round.

competitive details and outlook

The second stage of the competition was completed at the beginning of June 2025 after a precise evaluation process, which assessed the revised designs with regard to their design quality. The first -time team will now enter into a negotiating procedure to finalize the general planning framework agreement. From July 7th, all designs of the second level of competition can be viewed on the official website of the memorial, which can be reached at [Gusen-Memorial.org] (https://www.gusen-memorial.org/de/neuktellung/realization competition).

The importance of the concentration camp memorials

concentration camp memorials in Germany, Austria and other European countries such as Auschwitz, Dachau or Bergen-Belsen are central places of remembering the atrocities of the National Socialist regime. These facilities, as well as the Gusen concentration camp memorial, make a decisive contribution to the processing of the Nazi past. Institutions and foundations dealing with the culture of remembrance are given support from the state to meet their important work. Among other things, the Federal Government promotes various concentration camp memorials and its education initiatives to maintain memory work

The Gusen memorial is pursuing a clear vision with the ongoing redesign: it should not only be a historical memorial location, but also offer a space for education and reflection. The variety of design approaches should reflect the different perspectives on the past and stimulate the discussion.

A presentation of the commissioned planning team and his design is planned for autumn 2025 in the Gusen / St. Georgen region, which means that interest and awareness of the topics of the culture of remembrance should continue to be awakened.