Storm in Austria: Nazi camp to be demolished - to build a supermarket

In Austria, work has begun to build a supermarket and logistics center on the site of a former subcamp of Mauthausen, where hundreds of women and girls were imprisoned. The Mauthausen Memorial Committee demands to stop the project, arguing that the area must be preserved as a memorial site. The mayor, who sold the plots for €15.25 million, is at the center of criticism.

A public storm has erupted in Austria after work began to build a commercial complex including a supermarket and logistics center on the site of the former subcamp of the Mauthausen concentration camp in Leopoldsdorf. At the site where about 400 women and girls were imprisoned during the Nazi regime and sent to forced labor, bulldozers and heavy equipment have been brought in for initial infrastructure work. The Mauthausen Memorial Committee in Austria called for an immediate halt to the project, arguing that the remaining open area of the camp must be preserved as an international memorial site. The organization warns that construction could permanently erase physical remnants of Nazi crimes. The mayor of Leopoldsdorf, Andreas Ramharter, is at the center of criticism: a real estate company he owns sold the plots for €15.25 million (about 65 million shekels), and the rezoning of the land yielded an additional profit of €1.34 million. Ramharter defended his actions, saying he sees no wrongdoing in the transactions. The debate began as early as late 2024, and work has progressed to the infrastructure stage. The committee argues that this is a test of how Austria deals with Nazi subcamp sites.