The STALAG XVII B prisoner-of-war camp in Gneixendorf

During the Second World War, Gneixendorf – a village near Krems – was home to the largest prisoner-of-war camp on the territory of present-day Austria.

In 2018, foundation walls were found during archaeological digs made necessary by roadworks to the north-east of Gneixendorf. These were the remains of barracks for the guards of the ‘main camp’ (Stammlager, abbreviated to STALAG) XVII B Gneixendorf. The number 17 refers to the number of the military district (Wehrkreis), which comprised the administrative divisions (Gaue) of Vienna, Upper Danube and Lower Danube, while B denotes the second camp in the district.

Austria’s largest prisoner-of-war camp

STALAG XVII B Gneixendorf was set up in September 1939 and became the largest prisoner-of-war camp in the ‘Ostmark’ (Eastern March), the name given to Austria after its annexation by Nazi Germany. A total of 64,000 prisoners were living here in autumn 1941, with a further 60,000 deployed outside the camp in work details (Arbeitskommandos). The largest contingents were Belgians and French, along with soldiers from Serbia, Italy, the Soviet Union and the USA. The Americans, who were housed in a separate area of the camp, were flight crews who had been shot down. Billy Wilder’s film Stalag 17, to which Gneixendorf owes its international fame, is based on their accounts. Living conditions in the camp varied considerably. While it was mostly bearable for the ‘western’ prisoners despite harassment, the Soviet prisoners of war suffered greatly from malnutrition and disease. Over 2,000 prisoners died here and were buried in mass graves in the camp cemetery.

Layout of the camp

The prisoners’ area in the camp was made up of 12 units, each with four barracks. The barracks had room for 400 prisoners; however, many of them had to sleep in tents or in the open at times. The guards’ quarters and the camp administration were located in the separate ‘Vorlager’ (fore camp). After the prisoners of war had been liberated by the Red Army on 9 May 1945, the camp was dissolved and the barracks demolished. Various traces of the camp have been preserved underground, however, and these can be investigated by historical archaeologists.