186 Steps
Mauthausen has a past.
It was one of the most formidable concentration camps of the Second World War. Today it is a tranquil place of peace. Its gardens now host sculptures from many countries, whose citizens fell at Mauthausen during those years.
A path from the camp, down 186 steps, takes you into the Quarry at Mauthausen. Here, the prisoners were forced to work until they died. The 186 steps gained notoriety, as the only path out of the quarry.
Heavy quarried rock had to be manually carried out by the labourers. These steps were the witness of many deaths.
Mauthausen has a past..
186 steps was a joint venture between Katrina and fellow artist, David Cooksey.
The sculpture utilised the cliff face of Bambington House garden, giving the impression of the 186 steps at Mauthausen.
Created as part of the 2006 Wirksworth
Sculpture Trail. A structure to pay homage to the forced labourers at Mauthausen and a way to provoke the viewer into researching this horrific part
of history themselves.