His concentration camp Mauthausen is the eternal symbol for the horror of Nazism in Austria. From its establishment in 1938 until its liberation in 1945, it is estimated that around 100,000 people were murdered there, among them over 3,000 Greeks. The majority of them in this particular camp were political prisoners. At a time when in the real homeland of Adolf Hitler the extreme right seems to be galloping again the question is legitimate. What does the new generation of Austrians know about this place of martyrdom, the “Gate of Death” and the “Staircase of Tears”, which Iakovos Campanellis described with his verses?

The Ministry of Education of the country started last year a subsidy program of up to 500 euros for schools, which make educational visits to the camp site. The program had a response, as Gudrun Blomberger, head of educational programs at Mauthausen Memorial, explains. “A total of 25,000 middle school students were in the memorial area and to them are added another 23,000 from the High School,” he says characteristically.

The role of the school

The role of the teachers is important, as they must have prepared the children accordingly before passing the gate of the camp and the entrance of the museum for the approximately two-hour tour. And as noted, educators are responding to this task. “It is something that has changed a lot and for the better. Usually when teachers come with their students to the monument there has already been a relevant preparation at the school. It is very rare that students come who have not done any preliminary work. This is a rare exception.”

Tik Tok in the service of History

Bloberger refers to the effort to reach and inform the youth with the means that touch them the most: “We have been opening our own Tik Tok channel for about three years now. Of course we initially had some reservations about whether it is the right medium to reach a large international audience. We collaborated in a program with other similar institutions and institutions. In the meantime, we see that this channel, run by one of our colleagues, is a good tool for young people, who want to prepare for the visit and deal with issues related to the area and its history.”

Questions always arise

The impact of the visit is catalytic and is followed by discussions, either inside the space, or later, upon returning to school, which also has a catalytic role here as the educator points out: “We know that after the visit to Mauthausen and over time other questions arise for children. These must be discussed again within the school.”

The goal is to have continuity

The program will continue this year and the following years and for now there is no question of challenging it. At least this is the intention of the current administration of the ministry. It is unknown what could happen if the next Minister of Education, after this Sunday’s election, came from the ranks of the far-right Liberal Party, which has shown an allergy to the moral obligation of remembering a country that was identified with Nazism. .