The situation is this: We pick up my sister and husband at the Munich airport at 8:30. We can either tour Dachau and then head to Hallstatt for the night or drive to Mauthausen and then onto Hallstatt (out of the way- I know) The book lists Mauthausen "More powerful and less tourist-orientated than Dachau".
My question: If you have been to both, do you think Mauthausen is worth an additional 180 Km-not to mention the extra gas involved. Also, we only have one night in Hallstatt so would be trading in some of our time there to go to Mauthausen.
Thank you for the help
Posted by
Keizer, Oregon, USA
588 posts
Don't give up time in Hallstatt! It is one of the most charming places in the world.
Posted by
Bloomington, IL, USA
9371 posts
The choice between Mauthausen and Dachau is not a tough one. Mauthausen still contains the original buildings that existed at the time of its liberation. Dachau was destroyed and has been rebuilt as a memorial. What you read is correct. Mauthausen is less tourist oriented and less well known. The contrast between the camp and the beautiful countryside visible outside the barbed wire is something that stays with me to this day, and I visited there over 30 years ago. It is truly a powerful experience. I think it would be time well-spent to go the extra distance (it's only about 100 miles). Hallstatt, while beautiful, doesn't warrant a whole lot of time.
Posted by
Groveland, MA, USA
101 posts
Mauthausen...I have been to both. We drove from Halstatt to Mauthuasen on our way to Vienna. If you had to cut anything short, cut some time from Munich
Posted by
Lake Forest, CA, USA
1633 posts
We were in Mauthausen in July of last year. It has really changed in the last 10 years. It has a new tourist information center which, to me, has made it a bit more "touristy". Also, in the spring of 2007, a terrible wind storm went through that area and all of the original barracks that are in the camp were closed and blocked from tourists. They indicated they were going to try and repair them--not sure if they are now open. I just asked my 17 yr old who has been to both camps which one he prefers and he said he felt both were now about the same. To me, Mauthausen is a bit more realistic, but I was disappointed in how it has changed. Last year we drove from Hallstatt to Salzburg in one day, and it was a very full day. Realistically, you can't tour a camp and drive down to Hallstatt and be there at a reasonable hour. You have to drive down there on red roads--not the autobahn. It's a beautiful drive. I would tour one of the camps and stay outside of Salzburg and then drive to Hallstatt the next day. Hallstatt was o.k., however, it is not a place I would go back to.
Posted by
Albany, NY, USA
47 posts
First, don't cut time from Munich, it was easily our favorite place in our Germany & Austria trip. Cut time from Berlin, if you must cut any at all.
Second, we made the effort to go to Mauthausen (by train, no car) instead of Dachau mostly for the extra adventure. We certainly liked it, but I'm not sure how much I can recommend it over Dachau since it does take up most of the day (we came from Vienna; same as if coming from Salzburg, really). We did it for the adventure of having to find our way to an out-of-the-way place (Dachau is on Munich's S-Bahn, so there's no challenge there). It wasn't touristy at all, and some of the barracks were open (June 2008). There weren't many people around despite being a nice day, so we had plenty of opportunity to stroll through at our own place and take photos with no one else in them.
Assuming your family will be arriving from North America at 8:30AM in Munich, that's going to be one long tiring day if you were to drive to Mauthausen and then further on. Keep jet lag in mind. Why not take it easy and spend that first night in Munich, relaxing at Chinesicher Turm beer garden in the park and seeing a museum, then make the big trip to Mauthausen the next day?
Posted by
Oklahoma City, OK, USA
430 posts
To me it depends on what you want to get from a visit to a Nazi Concentration Camp. In my opinion, every traveler to Europe should choose at least one camp, and see it, on one of their early trips. Each has different character. Choose your destination based on what character you want, not on schedule. Between the two you are considering, I would describe them as follows.
If you want to make intellectual ascent to what happened, have a museum atmosphere with clear signs and notes, at an authentic location, and are concerned that it may be too negative or heavy an experience -- go to Dachau.
If you want to feel what happened, have less 'museum clarity', and want the gut-wrenching emotional experience that standing in orignal buildings seeing original grafitti can bring -- go to Mathausen.
Posted by
Shoreline, WA
216 posts
Be aware that Mauthausen in just outside Linz, Upper Austria's capital (not just a short trip from Vienna, as RS seems to suggest).
Also, the access to the KZ for travelers dependent on public transportation is poor - either walk up from town (1.5 hrs) or take a taxi. Most visitors come by car.
On the other hand, Dachau is easily reached with public transportation. If you are pressed for time, then settle for Dachau.
Unless you are headed for Vienna after visiting Hallstadt, Mauthausen is not a time-effective stop.