The Release Is Possible Only Through the Chimney

“The arrival to Mauthausen was horrible,” says Milosalv Čeřenský of his stay in the liquidation camp. When the new prisoners left the train in Mauthausen and set out for the way to the camp, the SS members started to beat the old with the gunstocks. “We were coming up to the Mauthausen and on the left there was a huge building, it was called 'Russenlager.' It was that big because they expected to win the war and have thousands of war prisoners. That was the first time I saw the horrible conditions, the disastrous reality that was waiting for me, and yet I did not know about the stone pit and the death commandos,” he recalled. Every newcomer had to get undressed, have a shave, and shower: “They warmed you up like this and sent you back outside. It was quite good in July or August, but in winter, it was terrible. They let you stand there for an hour, two hours, or twelve hours. You were naked, standing at attention, either it was warm and the sun beat down or it was cold, rainy, or snowy; and after that they gave you bloody clothes.” The commanding officer of the camp then welcomed the newcomers with words: “The release from here is possible only through the chimney.”