Sign on Mauthausen Gas Chamber Wall

Gas chamber wall has Memorials to the victims

The photo above shows the memorial plaques on the east wall of the gas chamber. On the south wall to the right is a sign in six languages, including English, which says that Zyklon-B poison gas was used to murder prisoners in this room. Below the sign, on the south wall in the corner of the room, is a place where four of the ceramic tiles have been removed from the wall; on the other side of this wall is the "separate room" which, according to the sign, shown in the photo below, was where "the operation itself was commanded."

The English text is shown in the photo below.

Sign on wall of Mauthausen gas chamber describes its operation

The plaque shown in the photo above was in the gas chamber in May 2003. In April 1989, there was a different sign with slightly different wording.

The English version of the sign in 1989 was as follows:

The gas chamber was camouflaged as a bathroom by sham showers and waterpipes. Cyclone B gas was sucked in and exchanged through a shaft (situated in the corner on the right) from the operating room into the gas chamber. The gas-conduit was removed shortly before liberation on April 4th, 1945.

Note that, in 1989, the date given for the removal of the gassing apparatus was April 4, 1945. In May 2003, the sign in the gas chamber gave the date of removal as April 29, 1945.

The photo below shows a memorial plaque for Ludwig Haider who was gassed on April 23, 1945, less than two weeks before the camp was liberated on May 5, 1945. At the time that Ludwig Haider was gassed, a Red Cross representative was in the camp and selected prisoners were being evacuated to neutral countries, but in spite of this, the gassing continued right up to the end.

Memorial for Ludwig Haider who was gassed at Mauthausen, 23 April 1945

May 2003 photo shows tiles removed from south wall of gas chamber

Four tiles had been recently removed from the south wall and three chips had been removed from two other tiles when the photo above was taken in May 2003. The gassing apparatus was formerly on this wall, but near the floor. It consisted of a pipe with a slit turned towards the wall. The SS staff apparently saved some of the leftover tiles when they built the building, and the place where the pipe was removed was repaired so perfectly that today the location cannot be detected. These tiles were probably removed to test for traces of Zyklon-B in the Mauthausen gas chamber.

Gas Chamber Details

Previous

Home