Site of Stalag XVII B today
I am at the site of Stalag XVII B in the Summer of 1969 and standing beside pile of rubble
Today, a monument in memory of the Stalag XVII B prisoners who died, were buried in graves near the camp, then exhumed and sent back to their home countries after the war.
A monument to the Jugoslavian soldiers who died at Stalag XVII B
After all the prisoners had left Stalag XVII B, the Russians occupied the area until the middle of 1946 with a force of nearly 10,000 soldiers. After that, the area was occupied by American forces and a small US Air Force airfield was created at Langenlois, near the camp's site. A few years later, the land was given back to the Austrians and work began to demolish the camp. Properties taken by the Germans were given back to their original owners and any building materials salvaged from the camp were used to help rebuild the nearby civilian homes and businesses damaged during the war. When I visited the site in the summer of 1969, only one pile of rubble remained. Today, nothing remains of Stalag XVII B - only a monument stands in the general area to mark the place where thousands of men were imprisoned. The place where Stalag XVII B once stood is now peaceful once more.