Vienna commemorates: The memorial against war and fascism gains new importance

Vienna commemorates: The memorial against war and fascism gains new importance

Albertinaplatz, 1010 Wien, Österreich - Vienna, December 5, 2024 - an important day of memory and reflection: The Austrian sculptor Alfred Hrdlicka, known for his profound and provocative works, died 15 years ago when he addressed the burning topics of war, violence and fascism in his sculptures. His legacy continues to live, especially through the "memorial to war and fascism", which was inaugurated in 1988 at Albertinaplatz in Vienna. This monumental work is not just a monument, but a walk-in sign of memory for all victims of wars and the Nazi dictatorship. With this memorial, Hrdlicka created one of the most urgent clashes with the dark chapter of Austrian history, which still attracts many visitors today, as de.wikipedia.org reports.

insight into the history

The inauguration of the memorial was a turning point in the processing of Austria's Nazi past and came after the controversial Waldheim affair in the late 1980s. The memorial, which borders on the world -famous Vienna State Opera, is equipped with a variety of sculptures, including the notorious figure of the "kneeling Jew", which reminds of the humiliations after the "connection" in 1938. Hrdlicka's work is the first monumental monument in public space, which explicitly addresses the Austrian Nazi past, as Volksblatt.at reported.

The sculptures on the square are not only reminiscent of the murder victims of National Socialism, but also of the political prisoners and resistance fighters who had to fight for their lives. Critics of the time were loud when the memorial was built - some did not want to remember these dark chapters in history, while others found the central situation of the monument to be inappropriate. There was also criticism of the generalization of the term "all victims of the war", with many referring to the need for a special monument for the Jewish victims.