Debate about Nazi street names: Carinthia calls for clarification and renaming!

Debate about Nazi street names: Carinthia calls for clarification and renaming!

The debate about naming streets after National Socialists is now also reaching Carinthia. Prompted by the renaming in Braunau, where the local council will vote on adapting traffic areas on July 2, 2025, the need for action is becoming increasingly obvious. The decision is based on a legal opinion by constitutional expert Markus Vašek from the Johannes Kepler University in Linz, which comes to the conclusion that maintaining such street names would violate Article 9 of the State Treaty and is therefore unconstitutional. Article 9 obliges Austria to remove all traces of Nazism from political, economic and cultural life. This highlights the need for change.

With regard to the situation in Carinthia, the Mauthausen Committee identifies a need for action in many communities. In Klagenfurt, over 50 contaminated street names were identified, four of which have already been renamed. In Villach, however, 16 additional plaques were attached to contaminated street names to point out the problematic background. Manfred Morokutti, the chairman of the Mauthausen Committee, calls for greater awareness through education so that young people recognize the problem of honoring historically burdened people and understand its significance for the present. This is happening at a time when the rejection of National Socialism is established as a fundamental characteristic of the Republic of Austria, according to the Constitutional Court.

Results of the legal opinion

The decisive legal opinion states that municipalities are obliged to have the biographies of namesakes scientifically examined if there are suspicions. If the suspicion of severe Nazi exposure is confirmed, existing names must be changed. In Braunau, consideration is currently being given to whether street names named after heavily incriminated National Socialists should be reconsidered or whether they should continue to exist. Robert Eiter, a spokesman for Upper Austria. Network against racism and right-wing extremism, emphasizes that maintaining Nazi-contaminated street names is not an option. The report has already been forwarded to the mayor of Braunau, Johannes Waidbacher, and other responsible persons.

The discussion about renaming streets contaminated by Nazism shows that society in Austria is ready to deal with its history. The path forward requires that these issues not only be discussed at the political level, but also find a place in education and public consciousness. The effort to carry out historical reflection could represent a turning point in Carinthia and beyond.

Further details on the discussions and developments can be found in the reports from oe24, MKOE and Nachrichten.at.