Gunskirchen

Gunskirchen is a town in the Austrian state of Upper Austria. Gunskirchen lies in the Hausruckviertel. About 11 percent of the municipality is forest, and 78 percent is farmland. Internal combustion engine maker Rotax has been headquartered at Gunskirchen since 1947. During World War II one of the sub-camps of the Mauthausen-Gusen concentration camp was located in the village. The camp was rather short-lived. In December 1944, construction for the Gunskirchen camp began. It was planned to house several hundred slave labourers. When the camp was opened in April 1945, however, thousands of prisoners evacuated on death marches from Mauthausen started to flood Gunskirchen. Dr. Edith Eger was among them.