Austria (Bureau Report) Over the next six years, the state of Salzburg will establish a “Place of Remembrance” in every district in the state to commemorate resistance fighters in the Nazi regime. The locations are determined and artistically designed together with the community of those affected. The biographies and various forms of resistance should be historically processed and conveyed to schoolchildren at the same time. The project, led by a working group consisting of the Salzburg art historian Hildegard Fraueneder and two contemporary historians, deliberately focuses on memorial sites in the districts, as initiatives of the culture of remembrance have so far been concentrated in the city of Salzburg. “Everything is always centered on urban life, and there are important regional initiatives. It is important to be aware of them and to support each other, ”says the Salzburg historian Albert Lichtblau. Neumarkt becomes the first place of remembrance. The first place of remembrance will be in Neumarkt am Wallersee (Flachgau). Then another district follows every year – the final point is the state capital. The art projects can only be of a temporary nature, but have to stand for a while. How the communities then deal with the memorial sites is up to them. Georg Rinnerthaler should be remembered in Neumarkt. The innkeeper had already been the target of Nazi attacks in 1934 and was interned with his son for a year in the Dachau concentration camp after the Anschluss. “His role shows how widespread resistance was. Rinnerthaler did not fit into a box of resistance, for example particularly left-wing or Catholic, ”explains contemporary historian Robert Obermair. “He is one of those who were convinced that this regime and the National Socialist ideology were not good in their principles. He did not allow himself to be dissuaded from this opinion. “Eight artists invited to the competition. Eight artists were invited to the competition for a memorial in Neumarkt, the “Fund for Art in Buildings and Art in Public Spaces” is administratively responsible. The submitted concepts will be judged by a five-person jury, the winner will be chosen in autumn 2021, and the art project will start in May 2022. The construction of the memorial site is also accompanied by an educational offer for schoolchildren. “In the classroom, National Socialism often takes place as something isolated. Many have the image of Mauthausen, the secluded fortress where these atrocities happened. It is difficult to imagine that the excesses of National Socialism are visible even in small towns and communities, ”said Obermair. Land provides 600,000 euros for the project. The state of Salzburg is making a total of 600,000 euros available for the project. The corresponding government resolution “Places of Remembrance” was made in March 2021.
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