Commemorative event in Carinthia: Remembering euthanasia victims of the Nazi regime

Commemorative event in Carinthia: Remembering euthanasia victims of the Nazi regime

On October 26, 2025, an emotional memorial event for the victims of National Socialism took place at the Annabichl cemetery in Carinthia. This annual event is organized by the Memorial Carinthia – Koroška association and this year fell on the national holiday. Governor Peter Kaiser took part in the wreath-laying ceremony at the “Victims for a Free Austria” memorial and emphasized the important role of neutrality as an active and responsible factor in today's society.

Kaiser also addressed the challenges to democracy and the urgent need to take responsibility for protecting the population. As part of the event, the general theme of “Euthanasia during the Nazi era” was highlighted. 2025 is an important year for the culture of remembrance in Carinthia: It marks 80 years since the end of the Second World War, 70 years of the State Treaty and 30 years of EU accession.

Focus on euthanasia and transgenerational silence

Herwig Oberlerchner, former head of the Department of Psychiatry and Psychosomatics at the Klagenfurt Clinic, gave the memorial speech. He spoke about the topic of transgenerational silence and the need to break this silence. Around 1,000 files of euthanasia victims have been preserved in Carinthia. Between 568 and 739 people were deported to Hartheim, where they were killed; Another 500 to 700 victims died in the Klagenfurt district hospital.

Lucas Tschinkel, the deputy head boy at the Ingeborg-Bachmann-Gymnasium, presented his peace manifesto and emphasized how important individual contributions to peace are. Alexander Petritz, chairman of Memorial Carinthia - Koroška, ​​called for an active stance against fascism, racism and anti-Semitism and highlighted the resistance of the Carinthian Slovenes against the Nazi regime.

Promote and strengthen a culture of remembrance

The “Victims for a Free Austria” memorial, which was built in the 1960s and redesigned in 2015, bears the names of 3,175 victims of National Socialism in Carinthia. The event was musically provided by Emil Krištof, Tomaž Nedoh and Aleksander Ipavec, while Mirjam Zwitter-Šlemic led the program.

The social memory of the victims of National Socialism remains important beyond the borders of Carinthia. An example of this is the newly designed memorial in Lüneburg, which addresses solutions to the deprivation of human dignity. Minister of State for Culture Weimer emphasized that human life should never be considered “unworthy” and that universal human dignity cannot be violated. Such initiatives show how important it is to preserve the lessons of the past and actively fight against forgetting.

The memorial event in Carinthia is an impressive example of how remembrance work is anchored in society and how many people actively come together to advocate for peace and justice.