Mauthausen Concentration Camp: A Sobering Sad and Reflective Day - London to Istanbul on a Recumbent Tandem - CycleBlaze

Mauthausen Concentration Camp: A Sobering Sad and Reflective Day - London to Istanbul on a Recumbent Tandem - CycleBlaze

From London to Istanbul on a Recumbent Tandem

By Barry Bartlett

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September 25, 2012

Mauthausen Concentration Camp: A Sobering Sad and Reflective Day

The ride up to Mauthausen Concentration Camp is a 3.5 km loop up into the hills. Mauthausen has been restored as a Memorial Museum to honour the memory of the over 120,000 murdered here from 1938 to 1945.

As we approached the site, we were taken by the beauty of the setting for this place of such cruelty and evil.

The infamous and feared front gate of Mauthausen.

Moving tributes to many of the victims of Mauthausen.

The prison block within the camp. It is hard to imagine the rationale for a higher level of punishment within these walls.

Electrified barbed wire fences.

Austria has created a moving and educational museum at Mauthausen. We saw many Austrian school groups there that day. It is an unflinching, honest look at the evils of the regime and attempts to honour the tragic loss of life and dignity suffered by those imprisoned there.

Leaving the Camp, we are greeted by beautiful Alpine scenery.

It is hard to shake the haunting sadness and horror we felt here.

We rode on to a campsite in Au - a tranquil setting on the river. We feel the need to have a simple evening of camping after the difficult emotions of the day.

Today's ride: 32 km (20 miles)
Total: 2,800 km (1,739 miles)

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