Linzblog:
On Friday we were very lucky indeed, and managed to get the keys to go into the tunnels under Linz. As the book I am making is about the surface and what lies underneath, I have been desperate to get in the tunnels and I have been pestering Holger to get me in for a while.. it was good too as everyone ended up going and seeing them. Earlier in the 09 year, there was an exhibition held in the tunnels, which I am so sad I missed, but the gallery who curated it still had the keys. This is a really good example of the things residencies can give you – a way in to things that would otherwise seem impossible. You have a middle man from the residency programme who knows who to ask and how to ask them.
These tunnels were partly built by prisoners from Mauthausen concentration camp 20kms outside the city. One of the hardest camps – no gas chambers until quite late on, but worked to death working in a stone quarry – a lot of the prisoners here were sent from Auschwitz and it was also well known for holding a lot of Russians, and treating them with incredible cruelty (5 tea spoonfuls of food every three days, enough to keep you alive, but hardly living). They worked in the dark (pitch black) and when bombs were dropped on Linz, which was often, as the industry Hitler built up was for manufacturing ammunition and artillary, the prisoners were made to go outside so the guards could take shelter.
We had about two hours in the tunnels and access to about 2 miles of them over two levels underground. On the lowest level there was the shell of a really old car, which was incredible and very puzzling! Lights only went so far so there were parts that we only saw after taking a photograph with flash.
This was an incredible experience that I won’t forget.
http://www.mauthausen-memorial.at/
