Bewusstseinsregion Mauthausen-Gusen-St. Georgen

“Bewusstseinsregion” means “Region of Awareness” and is a spin-off intitiative of the year-long process to reach monumental protection for remnants of the KZ Gusen concentration camp complex after six decades of inactivity by the relevant Austrian State Authority.

In order to increase the acceptance of the monumental protection of certain KZ Gusen remnants, the Austrian Monumental Protection Authorities started this inititive together with the Communities of St. Georgen/Gusen, Langenstein and Mauthausen, and the Gusen Memorial Committee.

The idea was to activate people of the local population to participate in thinking about possible future concepts to use these remnants and to give them (together with the whole region) a new meaning for learning from history for the future in General.

With 2013 this first phase of activating people from the local population was finished and in 2016 a new carrier organization was constituted that develops this outstanding “Mauthausen-Gusen-St. Georgen Region of Awareness”.

Since 2017 international human rights symposiums are organized.

In 2018 the work of this initiative was honored by the State Government of Upper Austria with its Human Rights Award.

In 2020 a new House of Remembrance was opened at the KZ Gusen II "Bergkristall" Memorial in St.  Georgen/Gusen (see News).

In 2021 a series of virtual tours to important historical places in the Region of Awareness was made available via Youtube.

For more details on the Region of Awareness, please check the specific website of Bewusstseinsregion Mauthausen-Gusen-St. Georgen.