5 . Assembling the master plan , workshop within the participatory process | Photo by Julius Sevcik , Mauthausen Memorial
The master plan , in turn , provides clear and well-founded recommendations for future design measures . It divides the entire space into different zones , assigns functions to them , proposes specific uses for the existing buildings , recommends the construction of certain new buildings , defines necessary infrastructures and establishes design guidelines . Thus , it will serve as the basis for an international architecture and design competition , which will be the next step of the project .
At the time of writing this text , final preparations are being made for the announcement of the competition , with results expected to be published in the second half of 2025 . From then on , the project will enter the implementation phase , which is currently estimated to last until 2031 . The result will be a new memorial space that serves both as a commemorative site and as an educational centre .
The focus will be on presenting the historical site , its architectural remnants and its archaeological vestiges . The goal is to make them legible to visitors through design methods and place them in their historical context . In the former SS barracks , a new permanent exhibition on the history of the Gusen concentration camp will be created , which will also
provide ample space for educational programs with groups . At the same time , the current visitor centre will house a new exhibition on the history of the site from 1945 to the present .
Additionally , a new building will serve as an information centre and will offer space for offices and a generous storage area for museum objects . In the area adjacent to the stone crusher , a new commemorative space titled “ Room of Silence ” is planned , while the current Gusen Memorial will remain the central site of commemoration .
On 11 October 2023 , the Austrian Federal Government decided to present a draft amendment to the Commemorative Monuments Act to the National Council . The amendment ensures funding for the design process based on the master plan and assigns its implementation to the Mauthausen Memorial . The expansion of the Gusen Memorial is the largest memory project in Austria since the founding of the Mauthausen Memorial in 1949 . The international dimension of National Socialist persecution , which is also inscribed in the history of the Gusen camp , demands that the interests of all affected groups at the international , national and regional levels be taken into account .
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