Encampment in the Soviet Occupation Zone of Austria - Post-War History and Documentation

Between 1945 and 1955, hundreds of camps existed in the Soviet occupation zone of Austria. They served the internment and accommodation of displaced persons, repatriates, former prisoners of war, expellees, former National Socialists, and segments of the Austrian civilian population. Yet these camps have long remained marginal in scholarship and only weakly anchored in collective memory. This volume presents the results of the FWF project “Encampment” and offers the first systematic reconstruction of the camp landscape in the Soviet zone in post-war Austria. Drawing on extensive archival research, local investigations, and in-depth analysis on several examples of camp infrastructure, it examines structures, actors, functions, and continuities. Particular attention is paid to factors like trajectories into and out of the camps or questions of agency. Additionally, a digital map including details on the 247 identified sites is available.