Mauthausen, Germany: A Nazi concentration and death camp from 1938-1945, Mauthausen housed over 200,000 prisoners, many of whom died from dehydration, hunger, shooting, gas, or as a result of medical experimentation. The camp eventually expanded to the whole of the surrounding area, containing over fifty sub-camps, many of which were conceived of as business enterprises, using extensive slave labor to produce commercial products. Mauthausen was the last camp to be liberated by Allied forces. The area was designated as a monument and memorial in 1975. Most of the original buildings still stand today and the extensive barracks, roll call area, crematorium and gas chambers are open to the public. The inner gas chambers are one of the main attractions and visitors can look through the main door’s peephole into the inner rooms, emulating the guards who watched thousands die from inhaling poison gas.
