Participation process and master plan for the expansion of the Gusen concentration camp memorial site

In the years to come, the current Gusen Memorial will be significantly expanded. After completing the participation process involving international, national and regional interest groups, the results are now available in the form of a master plan. Link to the final report.
The Gusen concentration camp was a branch camp of the Mauthausen concentration camp. It was built from the end of 1939 onwards. In May 1940, the first prisoners were registered there by the SS. At the beginning of 1944, the Gusen concentration camp was expanded to include the Gusen II part of the camp. The prisoners imprisoned there had to build a tunnel system for the arms industry in St. Georgen under the code name “Bergkristall“ (Rock Crystal). In December 1944, the Gusen III camp was opened in Lungitz, several kilometres away. It was used for supply purposes. From its construction until its liberation in May 1945, at least 71,000 prisoners originating from almost 30 nations were imprisoned in the three Gusen camps. More than half of them did not survive the imprisonment.

After the liberation of the camps, large sections of the Gusen I and II camp areas were built over with a housing estate, whereas others were used for industrial purposes. In the 1960s, international survivor organizations had the Memorial de Gusen built. The cremation furnace of the camp was preserved within the it. Since 1997, the Republic of Austria has been responsible for maintaining the Memorial de Gusen.  In 2021/22, the Republic of Austria bought several properties located in the area of the former concentration camp Gusen I, where two former SS buildings, the stone crusher and parts of the former roll call square are located. 

It also acquired a piece of land at the entrance area to the “Bergkristall“ tunnel system in St. Georgen an der Gusen. The memorial site is thus going to undergo a major expansion.
To ensure the widest possible engagement of all interest groups and stakeholders from the start, the first step in the project involved a participation process to develop a master plan with design and functional guidelines. Art:phalanx are responsible for the participation process, whereas heri&salli, as the team of architects, are responsible for drawing up the master plan based on the results obtained in the participation process.

The master plan defines several zones, such as a primary arrival zone, communicative zones with group meeting point, discussion and knowledge transfer character, as well as contemplative areas for quiet / individual time, and public meeting places. Furthermore, a sensible approach to the existing and future woodland structures (e.g. as a buffer to the settlement or to accompany paths) is being sought.

Historical connections between the properties as well as historical and current noise levels are to be taken into account in the future design process. The existing buildings are to be used for presentations, exhibitions and educational activities. Regarding mobility - the aim is to develop an innovative mobility concept including additional synergies within the communities and to define a transition zone to the busy Georgestraße.

The site of the Roll call square is the biggest of the newly acquired properties and is encompassing important archaeological findings as well as the remains of the former SS-Buildings and Stone crusher.
Its proximity to the Georgestraße allows for a new, well visible entrance area. An existing embankment is located next to the entrance area. Within this embankment the master plan sees a possibility for a new building with the function of welcoming visitors and conveying knowledge (1). A mobility point with parking spots for visitors and employees is proposed on top of the building (2). 
Site and topic specific knowledge transfer with 1/3 of the building being designated to a space for emptiness or exhibition areas is recommended for the SS buildings (3).
The general consensus of the Participatory process left the area of the roll call square free of generous spatial interventions, while the potential of the Stone crusher as a viewing platform was a subject of multiple discussions.

The eventual conclusion was that due to different parameters like monument protection, accessibility, neighbours’ privacy, as well as the tourist aspect, a potential platform is viewed rather critically. It is however recommended that the exposed areas in the Ground floor zone and basement be considered for access (4). The upper edge of the terrain in front of the stone crusher has been raised by 3-4 m to its current level, and the master plan sees a possibility for a room of silence within the filled ground (5).
In terms of accessibility, restricted access outside the working hours is proposed for the somewhat hidden from the street areas of the roll call square and stone crusher. Nevertheless, the entire site remains visible at all times from the higher location of the former depot (8).

The property ‘Memorial’ contains the Memorial itself - built by survivor organizations in the 1960s around the camps Cremation furnace as well as the currently operating visitors centre. The two buildings should with small adaptations retain their functions in the future (2). 
Currently, the Memorial is accessed both by cars and pedestrians through the parking in the western part of the plot.

The masterplan proposes a new mobility point at the Georgestraße which should calm down the entrance to the memorial for the benefit of the visitors and the potential of conveying knowledge / exhibiting outdoors (1).
The meadow in front of the memorial is intended to offer both visitors and locals a quality outdoor public area (4). However, measures that impair the view of the Memorial are to be avoided (5).

The ‘Bergkristall’ property together with the Municipality property (which is to be considered as part of the Master plan) are most importantly containing the historical as well as current entrances to the tunnel system ‘Bergkristall’. The Tunnel system is open only occasionally (a few days per year) and thus a potential full time opening was important to the discussions within the participatory process. The Master plan offers a partial opening of a short section of the tunnel for the visitors to get an impression of the structure (1).
Additionally, the site should receive a new mobility point (2) on the Bahnhofstraße (with a view towards the tunnel entrance (3)) and make further use of the existing infrastructure of the 'House of remembrance'. 

During the upcoming design process attention should be paid to the public area in front of the ‘House of remembrance’ as it is frequented by visitors as well as the local population, including children while simultaneously containing the historical tunnel entrance and the historical siding track (4).
The embankment within which the tunnel system is located is seen by the Master plan as a series of informal paths and interventions which allow the visitors to ‘discover places’ and enter ‘contemplative zones left to nature’ (5).