Viewsheds, Borders, Accessibilities – The Spatial Structuring of National-Socialist Forced Camps Illustrated by the Example of the Concentration Camp Mauthausen

Summary

This is an abstract from the session entitled "Materialities of (Un)Freedom: Examining the Material Consequences of Inequality within Historical Archaeology", at the 2023 annual meeting of the Society for Historical Archaeology.

One of the primary functions of Nazi forced camps was to intern specific groups of people within an area surrounded by walls and fences and to isolate them from the outside world. These camps were subdivided to form a complex system of areas with different accessibilities, and serving different purposes. The spatial differentiation included the separated accommodation of various categories of internees as well as areas dedicated to administration, storage, or workshops. Furthermore, infrastructure associated with the camp extended beyond the perimeter, such as sites of forced labour, buildings used by the SS or railway connections and access roads. This complex spatial organisation, determining the possibilities for movement and visual perception, will be illustrated using the example of the concentration camp Mauthausen. Mapping and digitally reconstructing the camps infrastructure, the terrain and selected elements of the surroundings form the basis of the detailed analysis of viewsheds, borders and accessibilities.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for Historical Archaeology 2023   •
• Materialities of (Un)Freedom: Examining the Material Consequences of Inequality within Historical Archaeology

Keywords

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Nicole Haddow