Thalerhof, known as Interniertenlager Thalerhof, was a concentration camp established by the authorities of the Austro-Hungarian Empire at the beginning of World War I, from September 4, 1914, to May 10, 1917. It was located in a sandy valley at the foot of the Alps, near Graz, the main city of the province of Styria. It was one of the first concentration camps of the 20th century and the first in Europe.
The camp deported residents of Galicia and Bukovina, Rusyns, and those suspected of sympathizing with the Russian Empire. People were also sent there based on statements from Poles and Ukrainophiles.
Until the winter of 1915, there were no barracks in Thalerhof, and the prisoners were forced to live outdoors, enduring rain and frost.
According to the official report by Schleer dated November 9, 1914, there were 5,700 Russophiles in Thalerhof. Among them were about 1,915 Rusyns from 151 villages in Lemkivshchyna and about 200-250 students accused of sympathizing with the Russian Empire. Evidence included Russian-language books found in their possession, such as works by Hryhorii Skovoroda and Taras Shevchenko.
The camp was closed in May 1917 by the order of the last Emperor of Austria-Hungary, Charles I. The barracks at the site of the camp remained until 1936 when they were demolished. During this process, 1,767 bodies were exhumed and reburied in a mass grave in the village of Feldkirchen.
Today, the former Thalerhof is located on the territory of Graz-Thalerhof Airport.
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