Memory of displacement: Parliament recognizes the fate of the displaced persons

Memory of displacement: Parliament recognizes the fate of the displaced persons

Parlament, Österreich - On June 26, 2025, an important commemoration event was carried out in the Austrian Parliament on the 80th anniversary of the expulsion of German -speaking people from their homeland. This event praised the fate of the many millions, including old Austrians from the former crown countries of the Habsburg monarchy, which were uprooted after the Second World War. National Council President Walter Rosenkranz opened the event with an urgent appeal to the responsibility of Austria and the parliament to preserve the inheritance of the displaced people and to explore their history, which has so far been insufficiently treated, such as ots

Florian Kührer-Wielach, director of the Institute for German Culture and History of Southeast Europe, gave a lecture on the historical background of the displacement. He advocated taking up the complex history without the risk of "collectivism". This was a crucial point, since the displacement was not only a consequence of National Socialism, but also the result of international power games, including the Hitler-Stalin pact, which laid the basis for the violent attacks. Rosenkranz recalled the brutal circumstances, from which the displaced people suffered and mentioned the "Brünner death march" as an example of the horrific acts of violence.

memory and integration

The challenges of integrating the displaced in Austria, which Kührer-Wielach addressed, are still a current topic. This integration was difficult because society often proved to be overwhelmed. In this context, Hartmut Koschyk, a former member of the Bundestag, reported on dealing with displaced people in East and West Germany, a handling, which was characterized by both differentiation and backwards. Especially in the GDR, the displaced people were referred to as "resettlers", which did not live up to their actual experience.

The large number of perspectives on the fate of the displaced also describes the important role of literature and research. Works such as * remind of the expulsion in German * by Eva Hahn and Hans Henning Hahn and numerous other research contributions deal with the topic and offer different perspectives on the compulsory migrations, their historical context and the following challenges for those affected, such as bpb.de shown.

social effects

After the war, Germany was faced with the fate of an estimated 14 million displaced persons. These initially lived in overcrowded reception camps on the eastern border before their further trip to the west or east of Germany was often decided by chance. Around eight million displaced persons finally found their way to the later Federal Republic, while about 4.1 million landed in the Soviet occupation zone. There, 80 percent of the displaced people were sent to rural areas, which led to a significant change in the population structure. In some villages in Mecklenburg, more strangers lived than locals, and the displaced people made up to 24 percent of the total population in the entire GDR, such as mdr Notice.

The memorial event in parliament and the accompanying discourses illustrate that the topic of the expulsion and the role of the displaced people in the collective memory is not only a piece of history, but also remains alive in the present. The differentiated examination of this topic is crucial for a better understanding and the future social integration of all people in Austria.