Why is it important – 80 years after the liberation of CC Mauthausen – to tell these stories?

Eighty years ago, the Nazi dictatorship ended and Mauthausen concentration camp was liberated. Fifty years later, the National Fund of the Republic of Austria for Victims of National Socialism was established. Since then, the survivors of National Socialist persecution have been at the heart of our work – honoring the injustice inflicted on them, supporting them in old age and passing on their memories.

Over the past 30 years, almost 30,000 people from all victim groups have told their stories to the National Fund: How their families lived here in Austria, often for generations; how their world was destroyed after the Anschluss. Thousands of times we have experienced what it feels like when a life of peace, familiarity and security, with all its minor and major worries, with plans and wishes for the future, with family and friends, suddenly – in the blink of an eye - turns into a nightmare. When the unimaginable suddenly becomes reality in the place you call home. Each account is moving, unique and a part of Austria's past.

When we listen to contemporary witnesses, we get to know history from a very personal perspective. Their accounts let us feel that we as human beings are part of history – often as its pawns, but also as beings who can help shape history. As we listen, we realize how lucky we are to have been born into a democracy in which we have the opportunity to live in peace and freedom in this country. But we also become aware that freedom also brings with it the responsibility to treat this gift with care. By preserving the knowledge of the fates of the victims of Nazi persecution and telling their stories, we contribute to raising social awareness of these interrelationships.

Eighty years after the end of the war, we are living at a turning point. Soon the last survivors will have fallen silent. Just this February, another one of them passed away – Marian Turski, President of the International Auschwitz Committee and a long-time companion and friend, zichrono livracha. Shortly before, on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz extermination camp, he formulated his legacy – an appeal to future generations:

"We pass on our memories,
our words and our voices.
Our days, those of the survivors, are numbered:
But we will not fall silent,
if you, all of you, do not remain silent!" ^[1]

^[1] Speech written by Marian Turski for the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz (in German)