Sale of former concentration camp in Saxony-Anhalt sparks uproar

The grounds of the former German concentration camp near Halberstadt in Saxony-Anhalt, where over 4,300 people died, have been sold to a real estate investor, reported the weekly magazine "Spiegel." The transaction has caused consternation.

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. The tunnels were intended for building fighter planes and V2 rockets for the supposed "final victory."

"The working and living conditions were so inhumane that over 4,300 people died in twelve months due to workplace accidents, diseases, executions, and death marches. A monument now commemorates these people's suffering and the camp's history, and visitors could tour the tunnel system," wrote "Spiegel."

After the war, the site was first used by the National People's Army of the GDR and later by the Bundeswehr. 1995, the grounds were sold to a private individual who donated the area, including the tunnels, to the Langenstein-Zwieberge Memorial Center, established in 1976. However, the owner fell into financial trouble, and the grounds became part of the bankruptcy estate.

Representatives from politics and civil society wonder why the site was not purchased by the state government. The bankruptcy trustee blames the government, to which he made several purchase offers, all of which were rejected.

The federal state of Saxony-Anhalt has been receiving purchase offers for many years, legal expert André Loeffler told "Spiegel." However, they were rejected, and "free usage" was demanded.

The state's Ministry of Culture firmly rejects the trustee's claim that the government was not interested in acquiring the site. On the contrary, the received offers were unacceptable, either due to the high price exceeding 1 million euros (about $1.06 million) or because the offers did not contain any concrete information about the site intended for sale, wrote the portal t-online.

The bankruptcy trustee was repeatedly asked for the missing information but did not respond to the inquiries. As a result, the government had its hands tied as it never received a formally correct purchase offer.

Loeffler sold the tunnels to a Saxon investor for 500,000 euros (about $530,000). The new owner, Peter Jugl, a Saxony businessman specializing in "problematic real estate," has not yet revealed his plans for the site. "We are interested in all types of real estate. The larger the property, the more interesting it is for us," said his company's website.

"The state government is trying to calm everyone who fears that the former concentration camp might become a profit-oriented museum or something similar. A protection mandate strictly restricts the use of the site. Any construction activity must be approved, and commercial use is excluded," wrote t-online.