Design Competition
Previous findings and results, which drew upon on the master plan for the redesign, formed the basis for the now completed design competition. The aim of the competition was to create a contemporary place of remembrance that takes into account the operational requirements of a future memorial site and local conditions and needs.
An EU-wide design competition for the overall landscape planning, architectural and urban design of several areas on the site of the former Gusen concentration camp ran from late September 2024 to summer 2025. The aim was to significantly expand the existing Gusen Memorial, developing it into a place of remembrance and education for the future.
Design teams from across the EU were invited to submit proposals for the landscape design, the construction of new buildings and the adaptation of existing historical structures for future use. The competition guidelines were based on the master plan that was the result of the international participation process.
The EU-wide competition was two-stage, open and anonymous. At the end of January 2025, a jury met to determine the best competition entries, with these applicants then invited to develop their planning proposals further in a second stage of the competition. This stage began in March 2025 and concluded in June 2025 when the jury met again to decide which designs were worthy of commendation and to select the winning project. Before making this decision public, negotiations were held with the team behind the winning project to conclude a general planning framework agreement for the realisation of the design.
The competition phase also marked the start of other developments. Running parallel to the competition, development started – and is still ongoing – on new education formats to complement existing educational services, and the Research Centre of the Mauthausen Memorial published comprehensive scientific findings in the form of a source collection on Gusen. In November 2024, an information and community meeting centre opened in the immediate vicinity of the existing memorial. Barbara Glück, Director of the Mauthausen Memorial, commented: ‘The great success of the participation process has shown that the best results are achieved by working together in a spirit of goodwill. We are now looking forward to starting the next phase of this unique project and to sharing together the experience of seeing the results of this collaboration gradually become reality. Our information and community meeting centre will act as an invitation to continue these conversations on site.’
The jury members were as follows:
Specialist Jury Members
Architect Emeritus Prof. Manfred Wehdorn, CEO Wehdorn Architekten (chair)
Architect Prof. Hans Gangoly, CEO of Gangoly & Kristiner Architekten ZT GmbH, nominated by the Chamber of Civil Engineers | Architects and Engineering Consultants for Upper Austria and Salzburg (deputy chair)
Architect Elisabeth Lesche, el:ch landschaftsarchitekten Part-GmbB, nominated by the Chamber of Civil Engineers | Architects and Engineering Consultants for Upper Austria and Salzburg (secretary)
Prof. Stefanie Endlich, Honorary Professor of Art in Public Space; research focus on architecture, memorial culture, urban history and fine art
Dr. Tomasz Kranz, Director Majdanek State Museum
Prof. Bertrand Perz, Department of Contemporary History, University of Vienna and Scientific Advisory Board Mauthausen Memorial
Expert Jury Members
Christian Aufreiter, Mayor of Langenstein
Andreas Derntl, Mayor of St. Georgen/Gusen
Prof. Guy Dockendorf, President Comité International de Mauthausen
Dr. Barbara Glück, Director Mauthausen Memorial
Willi Mernyi, Chair Mauthausen Komitee Österreich
Burghauptmann Reinhold Sahl, Department Head Burghauptmannschaft Österreich