Federal Care Center East

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The ensemble of buildings of the former cadet institute and today's refugee camp with the Schneeberg in the background

Bundesbetreuungsstelle Ost is the official name for one of five federal care centers for asylum seekers and one of two initial reception centers  (EAST) in Austria , whereby the former official name of the Traiskirchen refugee camp is often still used in the media and in everyday language. The headquarters are in the former cadet institute in Traiskirchen in Lower Austria , about 20 km south of Vienna .

history

Previously used as a school and barracks

Plan of the facility (around 1903)
Main building of the former cadet school (2019)

In October 1900 the construction of an Austro-Hungarian  artillery cadet school began on a 19-hectare property , which in 1907 replaced the previous artillery cadet school in the Vienna Arsenal . The overall plan for Traiskirchen provided for around 20 masonry objects, including: entrance building (including apartments for married NCOs); three-storey main building planned by Alois Schumacher (front: 128 m, height: 30 m) with an attached sutler's shop and a bathing establishment; Crew dwelling; two officers' residential buildings designed by Josef Schmidt (city architect of Baden near Vienna ; 1838–1910); Chapel; Pupil ailing house; Isolation pavilion; Disinfection house; Swimming school; Riding school; Stables and stable outbuildings; Fortress Gun Hall; Gun shed; Bowling alley ; Glass house.

The complex was completed on October 14, 1903 and inaugurated on the same day by Field Bishop Coloman Belopotoczky (1845-1914). Also present were: Reich Minister of War Heinrich von Pitreich (1841–1920), General Artillery Inspector Alfred von Kropatschek (1838–1911), General Inspector of the Military Education and Training Institutes Otto Morawetz von Klienfeld (1842–1909), Section Head in the Reich Ministry of War Moritz von Brunner (1839–1904), inspector of the fortress artillery Moritz von Krziwanek (1852–?), School commandant Major Eduard Haubner (1857–?), Commandant of the kuk technical military academy Adolf Schneider (1845–1919), major general Alexander von Krobatin (1849 –1933), Colonel Ludwig Elmayer (1850–1923), construction manager Lieutenant Colonel Joseph Fornasari (1854–?), District Captain Emil von Egger .

A total of 150 places were available in the first year of the two artillery cadet schools in Vienna and Traiskirchen. “Young people aged 14 to 17” who had completed four classes of a middle school with at least good success were recorded. Insufficient grades in Latin and Greek were ignored. The school fee for sons of the armed forces was 24  kroner , for sons of officers in the reserve, in the inactive Landwehr - and in relation to off-duty, then for court and civil state officials (servants) 160 kroner, otherwise 300 kroner annually. Destitute aspirants could visit the institution for 24 crowns, always with very good overall success. The aim of the lesson was, in four years, a scientific training equivalent to the secondary school, a military education, which enables the graduate to join the Austro-Hungarian artillery as a cadet and to attend the higher military training institutes as an officer. Requests for admission were at the command of the Artillery Cadet School in Vienna, X. to judge.

The Traiskirchen establishment could accommodate up to 340 pupils, the outbuildings 160 people, the stables 110 horses (for riding lessons).

In 1916 the cadet school was converted into an artillery academy. Even on August 17, 1918, the first academy course and a penultimate cadet school class came to retirement . In November 1918, when the war ended, this artillery cadet school was closed again and converted into a state foundation secondary school for the period from January 1 to September 30, 1919 . From October 1, 1919 to August 31, 1921 it became a state educational institute , and from September 1921 a federal educational institute for boys , an institute that sank into complete insignificance during the First Republic .

On March 13, 1939 - the public holiday to commemorate the liberation days in the historic year 1938 - the National Political Educational Institution (Napola) Traiskirchen was put into operation. Similar to the Adolf Hitler Schools  (AHS) and the SS Junker Schools, these were elite schools for the training of the next generation of National Socialist leaders. The most prominent teacher in this NSDAP training facility was the later SPÖ Minister of the Interior and Defense, Otto Rösch (1917–1995).

During the occupation , the former cadet school housed a military hospital and until autumn 1955 a barracks of the Soviet army (around 2,000 Soviet armored troops ).

Camp for refugees since 1955

The buildings have been used repeatedly as refugee camps since they were handed over to the mayor of Traiskirchen, who was in office from 1945 to 1960, on August 31, 1955, Johann Schuster. As early as 1956, the camp served as a reception center for Hungarian refugees who left their country due to the popular uprising in Hungary; Of the 113,810 people who crossed the border in November 1956, 6,000 were in the Traiskirchen camp on the 5th of the month. This first use as a refugee camp laid the foundation for the further expansion of the facility as a “contact point for refugees from all over the world”. On March 8, 1957 , the Federal Ministry of the Interior made an amount of 20 million schillings (1.45 million euros) available for the renovation of the dilapidated building substance.

Czech and Slovak refugees were also accepted here after the Prague Spring (1968), as well as in the 1970s and 1980s, when refugees mainly from Eastern Europe, but also from Uganda , Chile , Iran , Iraq and Vietnam were accepted. Among the numerous prominent refugees who found their first admission here are: the later State Opera director Ioan Holender and the journalist Paul Lendvai .

In May 1990 the mayor of Traiskirchen announced that the interior minister had promised that the warehouse would be closed permanently until the end of the year. This plan was rejected, however, because only a few refugees could be accommodated elsewhere in 1990 and a wave of refugees from the Soviet Union was expected from January 1991 ( fall of the Iron Curtain ). That did not happen, however, the Bosnian War (1992–1995) and then the Kosovo conflict (1998/99) became the refugee issue of the decade.

In 1992 the refugee camp was renamed the Traiskirchen care center and from then on also served as an initial reception center  (EAST) for asylum seekers . From 1993, the Asylum Office of the Federal Ministry of the Interior was also located here (today the Federal Office for Immigration and Asylum  BFA in Landstraßer Hauptstrasse). With the creation of several federal care centers in the 2000s, the name Care Center East was established.

Care has been privatized since 2003. Initially the German company European Homecare was entrusted, since the beginning of 2012 the Swiss ORS Service  GmbH has been running the warehouse under the supervision of the Ministry of the Interior.

Problems

privatization

In 2003, under Interior Minister Ernst Strasser, operations, which had previously been carried out by government agencies, were outsourced to the German company European Homecare . This - not uncritical - contract was canceled in 2010 due to the low occupancy of the warehouse by the company. The cooperation with ORS has worked well so far - apart from the consequences of the 2015 overcrowding issue - according to the Interior Ministry. But their appointment was also criticized, non-profit organizations such as Caritas, Diakonie or Red Cross were disadvantaged by the tendering process.

Overcrowding

In 1990, with a decree from Interior Minister Franz Löschnak, the number of camp residents was limited to 1,000.

With the refugee crisis in Europe from 2015 and the increasing tensions between the federal government, the federal states and the municipalities about the further transfer of asylum seekers to state care, as well as the duration of the asylum procedure, the occupancy gradually increased. In 2013 a number of around 500 was agreed. By June 2014, 1,300 asylum seekers were accommodated again, which is why Lower Austrian Governor Erwin Pröll ordered an admission freeze. This was lifted in spring 2015. Due to the extremely difficult conditions in Italy and Greece, exacerbated by the heat wave in Europe and the entire Mediterranean region , and probably also the beginning of the construction of a border fence with Serbia in Hungary , immigration numbers exploded ( refugee crisis in Europe 2015 ). In the meantime 1,800 permanent places could be created, and a tent camp for 480 more people, at the beginning of July there were already 3,200 asylum seekers in the camp, at the end of July 4,500, including 2,000 unaccompanied minors . The surplus people camped out in the heat in the open air, and in bad weather even coaches had to be parked in order to provide at least temporary protection from the rain. As early as July 6th, some asylum seekers went on strike. On July 29th, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees  (UNHCR) issued an official appeal because of the intolerable conditions. Even Amnesty International visited the camp, and published a highly critical report. On August 5, admission was again ordered (which, in view of the situation, only means that newcomers are placed in one of the other care centers or interim emergency accommodation). At the beginning of September the EU Migration Commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos also visited the camp, in which the occupancy could now be reduced to 3800 despite the events after the refugee tragedy near Parndorf and the "March of Hope" in the course of the opening of the Budapest Ostbahnhof - of which, however, despite the cold that had now set in, around 1400 were still housed in tents. To the astonishment of many observers, Avramopoulos praised the camp as “very humane and hospitable” and only spoke of “certain things that could be improved in the coming days”. Since a one-time emergency aid of 5.4 million € from the EU asylum budget for Austria was announced at the same time, it is assumed that the EU commission's role in comparison to the far more precarious conditions elsewhere in Europe at the time was positive despite everything Wanted to emphasize the way of engagement.

In mid-July 2015, work began on setting up seven distribution centers in the federal states in order to relieve Traiskirchen and to facilitate distribution to the basic service . At the same time, an agreement was reached with Slovakia to accommodate up to 500 asylum seekers in a camp in Gabčíkovo . The latter measure was criticized: Slovakia is one of the worst performers in Europe when it comes to accepting refugees, admission would correspond to a certificate trade; positive opinions see this as a form of European solidarity. Due to the dismantling at the end of August 2015, the state of Lower Austria was forced to act, as it claims to meet its inner Austrian refugee quota with Traiskirchen, which has so far only been the case with this catastrophic overcrowding.

Security concerns

The refugee camp in Traiskirchen has repeatedly been the subject of political and media debates regarding internal security . Refugees living in cramped conditions are repeatedly accused of drug trafficking and property crimes being the order of the day and that violent crimes also occur time and again. From the other side, the executive is often too hard and sometimes illegal behavior, e.g. B. accused in raids .

In 2009 there were clashes between Afghan and Chechen asylum seekers, and a mass brawl sparked a large-scale police operation.

At the instigation of Wiener Lokalbahnen , police officers were deployed in November 2005 in the trains of the Badner Bahn , whose Traiskirchen Lokalbahn station is not far from the Traiskirchen camp, with a view to increased security. The reason for this was fears that there could be attacks between refugees and other passengers. This measure also led to political discussions, as it is seen by some as unnecessary and racially motivated. In connection with the refugee camp, the train and train station have repeatedly come into the focus of public interest, especially in June 2012, when Saddam Hussein's nephew, Bashar Sabawi Ibrahim Hasan al-Nasiri , who had been wanted in Iraq since 2006, was picked up by a civil patrol at the train station .

Literary representation

literature

  • The artillery cadet school in Traiskirchen. For the inauguration on October 15, 1903. In:  Danzer's Army newspaper , No. 42/1903 (8th year), October 15, 1903, pp. 4–7. (Online at ANNO ). Template: ANNO / Maintenance / add.
  • Günther Puchinger: From the cadet school to the refugee camp. The kuk artillery cadet school in Traiskirchen and its use after the collapse of the monarchy . Self-published by the municipality, Traiskirchen 1991.
  • Wilhelm Soucek: History of the Traiskirchen refugee camp from 1956–1992 . Thesis. University of Vienna, Vienna 1994.
  • Rudolf Biegler, Franz Schögl: Festschrift to commemorate the town elevation on June 30, 1927 . Self-published by the municipality of Traiskirchen, Traiskirchen 1997.
  • Günther Puchinger: What happened to the Traiskirchen refugee camp? The changes in the area of ​​the former cadet school during the last ten years (1991 to 2001) . Self-published by the municipality of Traiskirchen, Traiskirchen 2001.
  • Rudolf Biegler, Franz Schögl: Die Stadt Traiskirchen 2007. Commemorative publication commemorating the town elevation on June 30, 1927 . Self-published by the municipality of Traiskirchen, Traiskirchen 2007.
  • Daniela Peterka-Benton: Organized smuggling crime. Questionnaire study on trade in human beings from the point of view of people smuggled from the Russian Federation and the former Yugoslavia . Dissertation. University of Vienna, Vienna 2008. - Full text online (PDF; 893 kB) .
  • Herbert Langthaler: "The camp." The initial reception center in Traiskirchen . In: Thomas Schmidinger (Ed.): “From the same beat…” Migration and integration in the industrial district of Lower Austria . Association Everyday Publishing, Wiener Neustadt 2008, ISBN 978-3-902282-17-0 , pp. 125-132.
  • Marion Totter: How do I see the "other"? About the foreign perception of Africans in Traiskirchen. A qualitative and quantitative analysis . Thesis. University of Vienna, Vienna 2009. - Full text online (PDF; 1.7 MB) .

Web links

Commons : Traiskirchen (refugee camp)  - collection of images, videos and audio files

References and comments

  1. ↑ a b c Little Chronicle. (...) The inauguration of the artillery cadet school in Traiskirchen. In:  Neue Freie Presse , Abendblatt, No. 14056/1903, October 14, 1903, p. 1, bottom left. (Online at ANNO ). Template: ANNO / Maintenance / nfp.
  2. ↑ Inauguration of the artillery cadet school in Traiskirchen. In:  Badener Zeitung , No. 83/1903 (XXIV. Volume), October 17, 1903, p. 3, top left. (Online at ANNO ). Template: ANNO / Maintenance / bzt.
  3. ↑ Between 1872 and 1905 in the at that time was to Favorites belonging Arsenal an artillery cadet school housed; According to Richard Groner , Felix Czeike (arr.): Vienna as it was. A reference work for friends of old and new Vienna . 6th edition. Molden, Vienna (inter alia) 1966, p. 32.
  4. ↑ Admission to the artillery cadet schools . In: Daniel Zeischka (Red.): Deutsche Wacht . May 10, 1903, No. 38/1903 (XXVIIIth year). Vereinbuchdruckerei Celeja, Cilli 1903, ZDB -ID 1172359-2 , p. 4 middle. - Text online (PDF) .
  5. ^ The artillery cadet school in Traiskirchen , p. 5.
  6. ^ A b c Peterka-Benton: Organized smuggling crime . P. 106.
  7. ↑ Oliver Kühschelm (Ed.), Ernst Langthaler (Ed.), Stefan Eminger (Ed.): Lower Austria in the 20th Century . Volume 3: Culture . Böhlau, Vienna (among others) 2008, ISBN 978-3-205-78247-6 , p. 61, text online .
  8. ↑ March 13th - public holiday. In:  Badener Zeitung , No. 20/1939 (LX. Year), March 11, 1939, p. 2, middle box. (Online at ANNO ). Template: ANNO / Maintenance / bzt.
  9. ↑ Four “Napolas” from East Markets opened. State ceremony in the Theresianum in front of Reich Minister Rust. In:  Volks-Zeitung , No. 72/1939 (LXXXV. Year), March 14, 1939, p. 3, center right. (Online at ANNO ). Template: ANNO / Maintenance / ovz.
  10. ↑ Poor devil . In: Der Spiegel . No. 24 , 1970 ( online ).
  11. ↑ Soucek: History of the Traiskirchen refugee camp from 1956–1992 , p. 49 ff. From: Peterka-Benton: Organized Schlepperkriminalität , p. 106 f.
  12. ↑ Niederösterreichische Nachrichten edition 02/2010
  13. ↑ Ruth Schöffl (Red.): Prominent refugees ( Memento from September 29, 2013 in the Internet Archive ). In: unhcr.at , accessed on November 14, 2012.
  14. ^ Puchinger: What happened to the Traiskirchen refugee camp? , P. 198 ff. From: Peterka-Benton: Organized Schlepperkriminalität , p. 108 f.
  15. ↑ a b BMI: Care through the ages. In: Public Safety 3–4, 2013, sections on federal care centers and care and initial reception center Traiskirchen , p. 42 ( article pdf , bmi.gv.at, p. 2 there).
  16. ↑ eu-homecare.com
  17. ↑ Traiskirchen refugee camp in future in detuscher (sic!) Hands. European Homecare wins tender process . In: news.at , February 26, 2003, accessed on November 23, 2013.
  18. ↑ Privatization of refugee care with European Homecare . In: no-racism.net , May 15, 2004, accessed November 15, 2012; European Homecare - return counseling for refugees. ( Memento from September 19, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Advice for deserters and refugees (undated, 2002), accessed August 8, 2015.
  19. ↑ Without contract in Traiskirchen: Company terminates asylum care. In Der Standard of July 5, 2010, accessed November 14, 2012.
  20. ↑ Special contracts with ORS Service-GmbH? Parliamentary question 5273 / J, XXV. GP, received June 2, 2015, in parlament.gv.at: Parliamentary materials ; in particular answer from Mikl-Leitner, 5106 / AB, July 31, 2015 (pdf);
    Enclosed disclosed: care contract asylum seeker care GZ. BMI-FW1600 / 0037-IV / 5/2011 between the Republic of Austria, represented by the Federal Minister of the Interior and ORS Service AG (pdf).
  21. ↑ Profit with hardship: The Ministry of the Interior is rewriting the care of refugees - and is doing everything to ensure that charitable organizations do not get a chance on the multi-million dollar contract. ( Memento from October 5, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Stefan Apfl in Falter 28/11.
  22. ↑ The care center . ( Memento from December 15, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) (doc, 65 kB; p2.iemar.tuwien.ac.at; accessed November 15, 2012).
  23. ↑ At the time six months until the decision of the first instance, four months after the legally valid decision until discharge into basic care .
  24. ↑ a b c See the lifting of the admission freeze in the Federal Care Center East (Traiskirchen) . Parliamentary question, 4319 / J, XXV. GP, received on March 20, 2015 ( parliamentary materials , parlament.gv.at);
    See also the occupancy rates 1086 as of August 2012 and 453 as of May 2013 Protocol No. 3 on the meeting of the municipal council of the town of Traiskirchen on Tuesday, September 25th , 2012     . Item 2 Report by the Mayor , Item 2, p. 2; and Minutes No. 2 of the meeting of the town council of the town of Traiskirchen on Monday, June 24th, 2013 . Top 1 report by the mayor , item 3, p. 2
  25. ↑ a b UNHCR appeals: Do not bring any more asylum seekers to Traiskirchen! ( Memento from August 12, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) . Press release, on unhcr.at, July 29, 2015.
  26. ↑ Heat in plastic tents: refugees collapsed. ( Memento of September 24, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) In: online today , July 6, 2015;
    Refugees: Peak in Traiskirchen. In: die Presse online, July 16, 2015;
    Traiskirchen: Refugees should wait for thunderstorms in post buses. In: Der Standard online, July 8, 2015.
  27. ↑ Police break the sit-in in front of the Traiskirchen asylum camp. heute.at, July 6, 2015.
  28. ↑ AI stated "serious violation of binding standards". Final results of the Amnesty International Research Mission in Traiskirchen: Traiskirchen is a symptom of systematic deficiencies in dealing with asylum seekers. ( Memento of August 14, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Press release; and Quo Vadis Austria? The situation in Traiskirchen must not become the future of refugee care in Austria. ( Memento from August 14, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Report of the Traiskirchen Mission, both AI Austria, August 13, 2015 (pdf).
  29. ↑ Admission freeze : No further refugees to Traiskirchen. In: Kleine Zeitung online, August 1, 2015.
  30. ↑ Refugees: EU Commissioner praises Traiskirchen. noe.ORF.at, September 7, 2015;
    "Very humane": EU Commissioner praises Traiskirchen. APA; in: Die Presse online, September 7, 2015;
    "Very hospitable": EU Commissioner praises Traiskirchen. In: Kleine Zeitung online, September 7, 2015;
    At the time, Austria urgently demanded an EU action plan by the end of the month, but this did not materialize; That day, Faymann traveled to Bratislava to once again suggest a common line to the Visegrád states , which shortly beforehand had definitely spoken out against EU refugee quotas; to Faymann campaigned in Bratislava for refugee quotas. In: Kleine Zeitung online, September 7, 2015.
  31. ^ Asylum: There are still three distribution centers missing. Asylum: Monday start for seven distribution centers. ORF.at, June 23 and July 17, 2015.
  32. ↑ 2013: 440 people, that is 80 per 1 million inhabitants, Austria had 1 million each in 2070; According to Eurostat: Significant increase in registered asylum seekers to almost 435,000 in the EU28 in 2013. Press release (24 March 2014).
  33. ^ Sharp criticism of Austria's deal with Slovakia. derStandard.at, July 10, 2015; Slovakia: “We don't want refugees”. diePresse.com, July 9, 2015; Gabcikovo does not want refugees from Traiskirchen. KleineZeitung.at, August 3, 2015 (on the citizens' survey there).
  34. ↑ Up to 1,500 new places for refugees. noe.ORF.at, September 7, 2015
  35. ^ Lower Austrian provincial government: LR Knotzer: Local inspection in the refugee camp Traiskirchen ut .: Division into private quarters would be a viable option . Press release, OTS0097, November 29, 2001, accessed November 15, 2012.
  36. ^ Mass brawl in the Traiskirchen care center . Parliamentary question, 4319 / J, XXIV. GP, received on April 16, 2009 ( Parliamentary materials , parlament.gv.at).
  37. ^ Tumult in the Badner . In: Arbeiter-Zeitung . Vienna December 18, 1979, p. 6 , bottom right ( berufer-zeitung.at - the open online archive - digitized).
  38. ↑ Saddam Hussein's nephew captured in Traiskirchen . In: noe.orf.at , June 22, 2012, accessed on June 28, 2014.

Coordinates: 48 ° 0 ′ 55 ″  N , 16 ° 17 ′ 3 ″  E