The memorial at the former Loibl subcamp
Erected in 1995 on the initiative of the Mauthausen Committee Carinthia
Beginning in October 1943, over 1,800 inmates of the Mauthausen concentration camp were forced to construct a tunnel into the mountain at Loibl pass, under the most adverse conditions and with utterly inadequate tools. 36 concentration camp inmates were worked to death on this site. This low number may be surprising. However, most victims were designated “unfit for work”, returned to the main camp, and killed there, usually via neglect.
While in present-day Slovenia, where the remains of the former concentration camp Loibl South are situated, a worthy memorial site was dedicated to the victims of fascism as early as 1954, the subject of remembrance was considered taboo in Carinthia for years to come. After some initial attempts at remembrance, initiated by the Slovenian cultural society Borovlje, the Mauthausen Committee Carinthia provided an important impetus through the erection of a plaque at the northern tunnel entrance in 1995. Since then, a memorial and liberation celebration is held each year in June, organised by the Mauthausen Committee Carinthia in cooperation with the Mauthausen Committee Austria.
School students are deeply involved in these celebrations. On a regular basis, artists are invited to design temporary or permanent installations. The former camp grounds were leased by the Austrian Ministry for the Interior in 2008. Only then did it become possible to uncover the overgrown remains of the foundations and open the area to visitors.