80 years on: The liberation of the Mauthausen concentration camp

Thousands of people took part today in the solemn ceremony commemorating the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the Mauthausen concentration camp, an event that has been held annually since 1946 on the initiative of the survivors and their associations.

Mauthausen held nearly 200,000 prisoners during WWII, half of whom did not survive and must not be forgotten, as the organisers of the event insisted.

“Nothing can be erased. Neither the transports, nor the forced labour, imprisonment, barracks, illness, cold, lack of sleep, hunger, the humiliation, degradation, beatings, screams. Nothing can, nothing must be forgotten,” said Guy Dockendorf, president of International Committee of Mauthausen.

Many high-ranking international guests were present at the ceremony, including the King and Queen of Spain. The Spanish were one of the first large groups of prisoners.

Austrian President Alexander van der Bellen and several members of the Austrian government, including Chancellor Stocker, Vice Chancellor Babler and Foreign Minister Meinl-Reisinger, also took part.

The event, organised by the Mauthausen Committee Austria, the successor of the Austrian Mauthausen Survivors’ Association, brought together international representatives to honour the memory of the victims and renew the commitment to the values of freedom, human dignity and mutual respect.

The Mauthausen Oath: a living legacy

The ceremony recalls that historic 16 May 1945, when liberated Soviet prisoners left the camp in orderly formation for home. At that moment, the Mauthausen Oath was proclaimed in 16 different languages, a solemn commitment born of the terrible experiences in the concentration camps, calling for solidarity and unity for a better world.

This oath, eighty years later, remains the ideological backbone of these commemorations, reminding us of our collective responsibility to prevent such atrocities from happening again.

The first survivors’ reunions served a crucial cathartic function. For thousands of former prisoners who returned to Mauthausen each year, these gatherings represented an opportunity to process the trauma they had experienced, to exchange experiences with fellow sufferers, and to reaffirm their survival.

Over time, these commemorations took on a broader socio-political dimension, centred on the slogans “We must never forget!” and “Never again!”, targeting especially the younger generation to pass on historical memory.

A tradition with deep roots

The first official celebration in Mauthausen took place in 1946, barely a year after liberation, with a gathering of more than 10,000 people at the foot of the “Todesstiege” (Death Stairs) in the camp’s quarry. On that occasion, the national delegates signed an official document stating that this commemoration would be held annually.

The presence of Their Majesties the King and Queen of Spain on the 80th anniversary underlines the importance of keeping alive the historical memory and the commitment to democratic values.

For decades, these ceremonies were mainly a matter for the survivors, always maintaining an international character but with little impact on Austrian society. Over time, the organisation has been taken over by the Austrian Mauthausen Committee in cooperation with the International Mauthausen Committee and the Austrian Lagermeinschaft Association, with public financial support and, to a greater extent, private donations.

Video editor • Rory Elliott Armstrong