She added, however, that the refugees living at the former death camp compound in Schwerte were so far happy with their accommodation, despite its history. "They say that they have much more space there compared to the building they had previously lived in," Ms Naujoks said.

Schwerte's mayor had pursued his plans despite the criticism. At a news conference this month, he defended the plan to house the refugees at the prison camp site. According to him, there were no short-term alternatives, given the growing influx of asylum seekers into Germany. He added that refugees were being accommodated in a house built after World War II on the grounds of the site, rather than in a former concentration camp barracks. The building in question was also used as a refugee centre nearly two decades ago.

In Augsburg, city officials are trying to emphasise their good intentions. "One cannot only commemorate [at this memorial site], one also has to act," city official Stefan Kiefer told local newspaper Augsburger Allgemeine, referring to the pressing need to find housing for refugees. According to the paper, local politicians welcomed the proposal, saying that turning the former barracks into a refugee centre would make it a "better memorial site than a museum would be". Antje Seubert, a representative of the Green party, celebrated the decision as a "victory over fascism".

To understand why the accommodation of asylum seekers on former concentration camp sites is celebrated as a victory in Germany, one has to take a deeper look at the country's struggle to deal with a growing influx of refugees.

In 2013 and 2014, more asylum claims were submitted in Germany than in any other country, leading to a shortage of available housing for the refugees.