Ebensee concentration camp
| Ebensee concentration camp | |
|---|---|
| Concentration camp | |
Inmates of Ebensee concentration camp after their liberation by American troops on 6 May 1945 | |
Location of Ebensee in Austria | |
| Other names | Kalk, Kalksteinbergwerk, Solvay, Zement |
| Operated by | DEST cartel and the Nazi Schutzstaffel (SS) |
| Commandant | Georg Bachmayer; Otto Riemer |
| Operational | November 1943 – May 1945 |
| Inmates | Political prisoners from many countries, Jews |
| Number of inmates | about 27,000 |
| Killed | between 8,500 and 11,000 (estimated) |
| Liberated by | US Army, 6 May 1945 |
Ebensee was a subcamp of Mauthausen concentration camp established by the SS to build tunnels for armaments storage near the town of Ebensee, Austria, in 1943. The camp held a total of 27,278 male inmates from 1943 until 1945. Between 8,500 and 11,000 prisoners died in the camp, most from hunger or malnutrition. Political prisoners were most common, and prisoners came from many different countries. Conditions were poor, and along with the lack of food, exposure to cold weather and forced hard labor made survival difficult. American troops of the 80th Infantry Division liberated the camp on 6 May 1945.
Residential homes now exist on the site of the camp, and a memorial cemetery is nearby. A memorial tunnel, created in 1994, and the Museum for Contemporary History Ebensee, created in 2001, provide information about the camp to visitors.