Displaced Persons in Austria 1945–1950: Survivors of Camps and Forced Labor

This entry details the experiences of Displaced Persons (DPs) in Austria between 1945 and 1950, focusing on survivors of camps and forced labor. It highlights the significant presence of Holocaust survivors, including those liberated from Mauthausen and Jewish refugees fleeing antisemitism in Eastern Europe, and their subsequent journeys through DP camps and transit points.

The period between 1945 and 1950 in Austria was marked by the presence of hundreds of thousands of Displaced Persons (DPs), including former forced laborers, prisoners of war, and concentration camp inmates who found themselves outside their home countries. A significant number of these DPs were Holocaust survivors. Allied forces liberated approximately 25,000 Jews from the Mauthausen concentration camp and its subcamps, in addition to other Jewish individuals who had survived forced labor or returned to Austria. Following the Kielce pogrom in July 1946, around 100,000 Jewish refugees from Poland arrived in Austria, with Vienna serving as a crucial transit hub. Displaced Persons camps were established across Austria, including in Linz, Wels, Ebensee, Bad Ischl, Bad Goisern, Bad Gastein, Salzburg, Graz, Judenburg, and Trofaiach. These camps, supported by organizations like UNRRA and the Joint Distribution Committee, were often controlled by the underground organization Bricha, which facilitated the onward journey of Jewish DPs to Palestine. Within these camps, DPs also collected materials related to the Holocaust, which were used for the prosecution of Nazi criminals. A further influx of 30,000 Romanian Jews arrived in 1947 due to antisemitism and deteriorating living conditions. After the establishment of Israel, thousands of Hungarian Jews also passed through Austria on their way to their new homeland. It is estimated that between 1945 and 1950, Austria hosted between 250,000 and 300,000 Jewish Displaced Persons.