Millions of people were forced to leave their homeland upon the outbreak of World War I in 1914. They fled from the fighting or were forcefully evacuated and accommodated elsewhere in the hinterland. After the responsible authorities in Vienna took the decision to construct a refugee camp in Bruck an der Leitha, planning work was initiated for the "settlement" that had been designed on the drawing board. The camp initially accommodated refugees from Galicia. From 1915 onwards the Austro-Hungarian authorities then housed Slovenian refugees here. These stayed in the Bruck an der Leitha camp until the end of the war in 1918. The town with 6,000 residents at that time thus became a place of refuge for around 5,000 Slovenians.The barracks of the refugee camp are still to be seen in the town – 500 buildings still stand and serve as accommodation.
Today a memorial located on the Alten Hainburger Weg in Bruck an der Leitha commemorates the approximately 500 Slovenians who died in the camp.