• Start date:  08.10.2026
• End date:  08.10.2026
• RU:  Сохраняя память ради будущего: В Посольстве России в Австрии состоялась презентация книги «Хроники Маутхаузена: из воспоминаний советских узников»
• DE:  In der Russischen Botschaft in Österreich fand die Präsentation des Buches „Chroniken von Mauthausen: Aus den Erinnerungen sowjetischer Häftlinge“ statt
• Status: Completed

On 8 October, the Embassy of the Russian Federation in Austria hosted the presentation of the monograph “The Mauthausen Chronicles: From the Memoirs of Soviet Prisoners.” This unique publication introduces German-speaking readers, for the first time, to the personal testimonies of Soviet citizens who endured the horrors of the Nazi concentration camp. The book was published thanks to the cooperation of the Interregional Public Organization ‘Society of Former Russian Prisoners of Mauthausen,’ the Embassy of the Russian Federation in the Republic of Austria, and the Russian-Austrian Public Forum Sochi Dialogue.

Mauthausen concentration camp, established in 1938 near Linz, went down in history as one of Nazi Germany’s most brutal centres of extermination. During the war, more than 200,000 people were imprisoned at the camp and its subcamps, over 30,000 of them citizens of the Soviet Union. The granite quarry, the “Stairs of Death,” starvation, medical experiments, and systematic terror made Mauthausen a place of unimaginable suffering — and a testament to the strength of the human spirit — for thousands of prisoners.

For many years, the personal testimonies of Soviet prisoners remained inaccessible to the wider European public. The monograph includes selected chapters from the memoirs of V. Osten, A. Soy, and N. Tsemkalo. These accounts are more than historical records: they give voice to people who survived the horrors of the camp and preserved their human dignity in the face of absolute evil.

At the book presentation, a message from Andrey Fursenko, Aide to the President of the Russian Federation and Co-Chair of the Russian-Austrian Public Forum “Sochi Dialogue,” was read aloud:

“Today, as we face unprecedented attempts to distort history, this book, published in German for the first time, serves as a reliable documentary shield for historical truth.”

The publication draws on the findings of extensive archival research and historical investigation carried out by the “Society of Former Russian Prisoners of Mauthausen” under the leadership of Alexey Vladimirovich Konopatchenkov. For many years, the organization has pursued a wide-ranging programme of remembrance and public education, bringing together researchers, veterans, and their descendants. Through its efforts, forgotten names are being recovered, commemorative visits are being organized, and archival documents are being brought to light to preserve historical truth.

In his welcoming remarks, Andrey Grozov, Ambassador of Russia to Austria, expressed his deep gratitude to Alexey V. Konopatchenkov for his many years of research and highlighted the key role played by the Russian-Austrian Public Forum “Sochi Dialogue” in bringing this important international project to fruition.

In his address, the Ambassador emphasized the exceptional value of the book as a significant historical work that reconstructs the tragedy through the personal experiences of eyewitnesses. He stressed that crimes of this nature must never be subject to a statute of limitations. Particular emphasis was placed on the fact that the memory of the camp’s prisoners remains sacred to Russia. In this regard, he reaffirmed the Russian Federation’s consistent commitment to protecting historical truth and firmly opposing any attempts to revise history or justify the crimes of the Nazi regime.

The publication of the monograph is a notable example of effective cooperation between civil society, academia, and the arts. The presentation was attended by Professor Wolfgang Bandion, a member of the Austrian Mauthausen Committee, and artist Pyotr Grigoryev, whose graphic illustrations feature in the book and convey the atmosphere of the prisoners’ recollections with profound dramatic intensity. The artist sent the guests a video greeting. At the end of the evening, commemorative copies of the book were presented to all participants and guests.

The publication of “The Mauthausen Chronicles” in German is not only a tribute to those who perished and those who survived, but also an important step towards strengthening humanitarian ties and historical dialogue. It serves as a reminder of the importance of preserving our shared memory to help prevent such tragedies from ever happening again.