Former concentration camp in Saxony-Anhalt sold, raising concerns
The site of the former concentration camp near Halberstadt in Saxony-Anhalt, where more than 4,300 people died, has been sold to a real estate investor, according to the weekly "Spiegel". The transaction has caused a great deal of dismay.
Between April 1944 and April 1945, thousands of prisoners from the Langenstein-Zwieberge concentration camp built an 8-mile tunnel system under the Thekenberge mountains near Halberstadt. In these tunnels, fighter planes and V2 rockets were intended to be constructed for the so-called "final victory".
"The working and living conditions were so inhumane that over the course of twelve months, more than 4,300 people died due to work accidents, diseases, executions, and death marches. A monument now commemorates the suffering of these people and the history of the camp, and visitors were able to tour the tunnel system," wrote "Spiegel".
After the war, the site was initially used by the National People's Army of East Germany, and later by the Bundeswehr. In 1995, the site was sold to a private individual who donated the site, including the tunnels, free of charge to the Langenstein-Zwieberge Memorial Centre established in 1976. However, the owner encountered financial troubles, and the site became part of the bankruptcy estate.
Why didn't the site end up in the hands of the authorities?
Representatives from political and civil society circles are questioning why this location was not purchased by the state government. The responsible bankruptcy estate administrator blames the government, to which he made several purchase offers, all of which were rejected.
"The state of Saxony-Anhalt has been receiving purchasing offers for many years," said legal expert André Loeffler to "Spiegel". However, they were declined, and "free usage" was demanded.
The state ministry of culture firmly rejects the trustee's claim that the government was not interested in acquiring the site. They were, but the received offers were unacceptable for several reasons. On the one hand, due to the high price of over £860,000, and on the other hand, because these offers contained no specific information about the site being sold," wrote the t-online portal.
The bankruptcy trustee was repeatedly asked for the missing information but did not respond to the enquiries. As a result, the government had its hands tied because it never received a formally correct purchase offer.
"Commercial use is excluded"
Loeffler sold the tunnels to a Saxon investor for £430,000. The new owner, Peter Jugl, a businessman from Saxony specialising in "problematic real estate", has not yet revealed his plans for the site. "We are interested in all kinds of real estate. The larger the property, the more interesting it is for us," it says on the company's website.
"The state government is trying to reassure everyone who fears that the former concentration camp may become a profit-oriented museum or something similar. The use of the site is strictly limited by a protection order. Any construction activity must be approved, and commercial use is excluded," wrote t-online.
