22 pupils from lycée Senghor and Modeste Leroy together to commemorate in Austria
May 2024- After having discovered the story of the photographies stolen and saved by (mainly) Spanish deportees (exhibition by the Amicale de Mauthausen, La part visible des camps, the school group met Mr Jean-Louis Roussel, vice-president of the International Mauthausen Committee in April, before heading towards Austria (durong their holidays!) on 2 May.
The next day, they discovered the Gallery of remembrance in Steyr, before meeting Austrian pupils.
On 4 May, they discovered the Memorial at Melk (and met the historian Christian Rabl-right), and visited the main camp, Mauthausen, in the afternoon.
5 May was quite a different experience, as a group of 150 French pupils and teachers from Alsace (Altkirch), Rouen, and Évreux took part in the French and international ceremonies . Chloé's father surprised us all: he turned up after the French ceremony!
In this Military barrack, the inscription "Arbeit Macht Frei" dating from the period of the war, is still clearly visible
Two ppils from the group, Suzon and Tydian, had the opportunity to read extracts from theMauthausen Oath (Serment de Mauthausen -click here to discover it) on the former roll call square (watch the video : Suzon and Tydian can be seen talking at 8th and 9th mn ; the French delegation can be seen at 42mn)
Photo : Guy Dockendorf, Président du Comité Intrenational de Mauthausen
La complicité entre élèves était souvent spontanée. Les élèves d'Altkirch avaient apporté des panneaux pour partager la devise républicaine et une cocarde pour tout le monde.
La librairie Gibert d'Évreux, dirigée par Thierry Fayolle, a offert des pin's de l'Amicale de Mauthausen aux 130 élèves et enseignants présents !
Nous proposerons à la librairie de commander quelques exemplaires du témoignage de René Bauman, déporté alsacien dont le lycée d'Altkirch porte la mémoire (cliquer pour voir le livre).
Photo : Guy Dockendorf, Président du Comité Intrenational de Mauthausen
Le groupe a été partagé en deux afin de déposer des fleurs sur les monuments de chaque nation représentée sur "l'esplanade des monuments", l'ancien lieu de bâtiments SS.
On Monday morning, before heading back to France, the group discovered the castle of Hartheim (see the work produced in 2019 here).
Hartheim was, between 1939 and 1941, a site of extermination of handicapped people, and from August 1941, for "useless people or workers" and Jews, according to the Nazis' assassination plans. These were transferred here from Dachau and Mauthausen.
