Program Commemoration ceremonies

YESTERDAY-TODAY-TOMORROW – A literary and musical evening to inspire courage

Cultural and commemoration event in remembrance of the 'Mühlviertler Menschenhatz' (Mühlviertel Manhunt) with Michael KOEHLMEIER, author; Katharina STEMBERGER, actress, and Gregor SEBERG, actor.

With accounts of the 'Mühlviertler Menschenhatz' (Mühlviertel Manhunt). With stories about people fleeing today. With stories about not equating but comparing, about big and small steps, and large and small indignations. With music that will make you reflect, stand up and join in.

The musical accompaniment for the evening will be provided by TONFABRIK and Christian BUCHINGER.

Following the trail of the 'Mühlviertler Menschenhatz' (Mühlviertel Manhunt)

Contemporary history walk in partnership with Mauthausen Memorial (KZ-Gedenkstätte Mauthausen)

Speakers: Activists from Perspektive Mauthausen (Mauthausen Perspectives) and employees from Mauthausen Memorial

Meeting point: Visitor Centre of Mauthausen Memorial

Commemoration ceremony 'Never again! 80th anniversary of the Mühlviertler Menschenhatz (Mühlviertel Manhunt)'

the municipalities of the Untere Feldaist region

Commemoration speech: Andreas GRUBER, director and writer

Pupils from Pregarten middle school and students from HTL Perg Medientechnik will be taking part in the commemoration ceremony.

Panel discussion on the 'Mühlviertler Menschenhatz' (Mühlviertel Manhunt)

in the presence of contemporary witness Anna HACKL

Panellists: Matthias KALTENBRUNNER, historian; Sabine SCHATZ, member of the Nationalrat; Walter HOFSTAETTER, Chairman of Perspektive Mauthausen; Gudrun BLOHBERGER, Educational Manager of Mauthausen Memorial

Moderator: Johannes REITTER, historian and journalist

The event is free to attend. There are a limited number of places. Registration is essential.

'Didn’t we say never again?' – commemoration ceremony at the Memorial for Peace

The commemoration ceremony at the Memorial for Peace remembers the victims of the 'Mühlviertler Menschenhatz' (Mühlviertel Manhunt).

'Remembering for the sake of the future'

Round table discussion with Marlene WOECKINGER, Mauthausen Memorial Education Team

Erzählcafé (Oral History Café) - Should we poke around in the past or is it better to leave it be?

Maria EDINGER used her family’s finds to set up a small but fascinating private museum in Katsdorf. She describes her motivation and how this came about.

Maria SCHMUCKERMAIR worked through the roughly 600 harrowing letters sent home from the front by her uncles during the Second World War, which transport the reader back to that time, and used them to write a book with the title ‘Wir sind nur arme Erdwürmer’ (We are but earthworms).

She is keen to learn from these unsettling documents and to understand. She does not want to be indifferent or to lose sight of the past, but wants to use the letters to ensure this terrible period is never repeated.

Ms SCHMUCKERMAIR and Ms EDINGER will talk about their family histories and how they deal with them.

Church service to mark the 80th anniversary of the death of Marcel Callo

‘Eine kleine Frühlingsweise – A concert for Marcel Callo’

with Maria RIEGLER, piano, and Josef FUCHSLUGER, violin

Epitaph – Concert with Berndt LUEF & Jazztett Forum Graz

‘Epitaph, eine Grabinschrift in 6 Sätzen’ (Epitaph, a grave inscription in 6 movements) is a musical exploration of the history of the Holocaust.

This composition by Berndt LUEF spans the period from November-Pogrom to the death marches in April 1945.

Registration

Gusen audio tour

You can follow the audio tour by yourself. It takes around 90 minutes.
There are a limited number of places, so registration is essential.

Registration

Guided tour through St. Georgen and Gusen

with Rudolf HAUNSCHMIED, Gusen Memorial Committee

There are a limited number of places, so registration is essential.

Registration

Conference: 'Shift to the right in Europe: Why are right-wing parties so successful?'

Isolde VOGEL, Historian, Documentation Center of Austrian Resistance
Ethnic thinking and anti-Semitism - on the attractiveness of reactionary world views today

Nikolai SCHREITER, Political scientist, University of Passau
The attraction of the unspoken anti-Semitic consensus

Rosemarie BURGSTALLER, Historian, Vienna
Critical media as the enemy: The threat to press freedom in Europe

Marion LOEFFLER, Political scientist, University of Vienna
The gender of right-wing populism. How masculinism, anti-feminism and gender phobia undermine democracy

Moderation: Walter REISS
Concept and organization: Eva SCHWARZMAYER

Right-wing parties have been growing in Western democracies for at least two decades and are now in power in more and more countries, including the European Union. Globalization is significantly promoting right-wing populist movements. Neoliberal ideas of individualization and flexibilization are dissolving old social and political ties. More and more people feel disoriented and are looking for alternative identities. Right-wing populists who claim to be 'always on the side of the people' are an obvious choice here.

In this mood, what concepts and political strategies can the established centrist parties use to counter the further rise of right-wing populists? What do people need in order to avoid being carried away by these attempts to divide them? Would more citizen participation and co-determination stop the further rise of right-wing parties? Are there or have there been effective responses to right-wing populist agitation in recent years? All these questions will be discussed at the conference.

Registration

Remembrance walk to the concentration camp chapel

Remembrance walk from the former infirmary hut to the concentration camp chapel at the Mauthausen Memorial
Meeting point: car park of the Mauthausen Concentration Camp Memorial Site

Commemoration ceremony for all victims of the 'Southeast Wall' construction

Speakers: Paul GULDA, RE.F.U.G.I.U.S.; Klaus Maria BRANDAUER reading poems by Miklós Radnóti and others
Oberkantor Shmuel BARZILAI, Jewish Community of Vienna
Representatives of the Jewish Communities of Zalaegerszeg and Szombathely
Musical accompaniment: Bogdan LAKETIC

Following the commemoration ceremony: Wreath-laying ceremony at the memorial for the victims of the massacre at the slaughterhouse, Steinamangererstraße 41a, Rechnitz,
with Oberkantor Shmuel BARZILAI and Bogdan LAKETIC

Registration

GEH-DENK-SPUREN – three-day hike remembering the victims of the ‘death marches’ from Mauthausen/Gusen to Gunskirchen

31 March to 3 April 2025

Historical events will also be discussed from a range of perspectives during the hike.

GEH-DENK-SPUREN will begin on Monday 31 March with a get-together for all participants and a joint opening event in the Visitor Centre of Mauthausen Memorial at 4:30 p.m.

The first stage of the hike will begin on Tuesday 1 April at Mauthausen Memorial and then continue over several stages, finishing on Thursday 3 April 2025.

The closing event will take place at the site of the former Gunskirchen Satellite Camp.

There are a limited number of places, so registration is essential. It is also possible to just do individual days or stages of the hike.

Registration

David Hersch memorial walk – Following the trail of David Hersch’s flight

The walk will start from the Hauptplatz in Enns at 2:00 p.m. The route will pass the memorial commemorating the victims of the death marches as it follows David Hersch’s route to Kristein, where he managed to escape the death march. Along the way, his son Jack HERSCH will provide additional information and extracts from the writing of Peter Kammerstätter will also be read out. The walk, which is being organised in partnership with the BG/BRG Enns school, will end at the Basilika Enns-St. Laurenz church at 4:30 p.m.

The walk will cover a distance of around 7 km and no registration is required.

Commemoration ceremony at the site of the former Hirtenberg Satellite Camp

The Hirtenberg Satellite Camp was a camp for the arms industry. From autumn 1944 onwards, female concentration camp inmates were used as forced labour for the manufacture of ammunition at the Hirtenberger Patronenfabrik (Hirtenberg cartridge factory). The Initiative KZ-Gedenkstätte Mauthausen-Außenlager Hirtenberg (Mauthausen Memorial Hirtenberg Satellite Camp Initiative), part of the Mauthausen Committee Austria network, is organising this year’s commemoration ceremony.

Registration

MEMORIAL WALK 2025: 80th anniversary of the liberation - ‘Didn’t we say never again? Coming together for peace’

Commemoration ceremony in remembrance of the Jewish survivors and victims of the death marches from Mauthausen/Gusen to Gunskirchen at the steps of the basilica in Enns-St. Laurenz.

As part of the commemoration event, Mauthausen Committee Enns is unveiling a new memorial to the 87 victims who were originally buried at this site as a visible reminder of those who were murdered. This year’s commemoration event will consist of thoughts from artist Karl Riedl, words from Jack Hersch, author and son of David Hersch, who was rescued from the death march in Enns, and musical interludes.

Registration

Memorial Walk

Ecumenical memorial march along part of the prisoners' route from the forced labour sites to the former concentration camp site

Registration

‘April 1945 disarmament operation’ – Commemoration ceremony remembering the liberation of Vienna in 1945 in the Sandleitenhof

During the Nazi regime, resistance efforts were organised in the Sandleitenhof over many years – people in need were given solidarity and support, and deserters were provided with civilian clothing.

In the Sandleitenhof, resistance fighters from the communist youth association disarmed the local armed forces, enabling Ottakring and Hernals to be liberated peacefully and preventing further casualties in the western part of Vienna in the final days of the war.

The ceremony aims to focus on organised resistance, solidarity and anti-fascism.

Registration

Commemoration ceremony für the victims of Stein prison

In remembrance of the 62 political prisoners of Stein Prison who were executed here on 7 April 1945.

A coach organised by the Arbeitsgemeinschaft der NS-Opferverbände und Widerstandskämpfer/innen Österreichs organisation will depart from Praterstern (VHS) at 12 noon to take people to the commemoration ceremony.

Registration

Commemoration ceremony

remembering the over 400 victims of the massacre of the released prisoners on 6 April 1945 and the 44 victims of the mass execution of the inmates of the Vienna Regional Court who were sentenced to death on 15 April 1945.

After this, attendees will process to the memorial to the Greek victims opposite the main entrance of the Stein prison building.

Afterwards, in the first courtyard of the prison there will be a silent act of remembrance by the gravestones for the murdered inmates and the judicial officers who were court-martialled and executed, among them Direktor Kodré, who had ordered the release of the prisoners.

A coach organised by the Arbeitsgemeinschaft der NS-Opferverbände und Widerstandskämpfer/innen Österreichs organisation will depart from Praterstern (VHS) at 12 noon to take people to the commemoration ceremony.

Registration

Wreath-laying ceremony at the site of the former Vienna Satellite Camp Saurerwerke

In the former Saurerwerke satellite camp, more than 1,600 prisoners were incarcerated between 20 August 1944 and 2 April 1945. They were forced to perform labour for the Saurerwerke AG company in various areas of vehicle manufacturing.

The wreath-laying ceremony will take place with the participation of students from various Viennese schools.

Registration

Commemoration ceremony at the site of the former Hinterbrühl Satellite Camp and Way of the Cross with prayers

Participants can visit five different stations as part of the Way of the Cross with varying themes and musical accompaniment.

Registration

Volksschule Ansfelden school commemoration ceremony

What happened at the Kremsbrücke 80 years ago? At the Kremsbrücke in Ansfelden, pupils remember those murdered on the death marches of the Jews from Mauthausen to Gunskirchen.

Registration

MEMORIAL WALK 2025: 80th anniversary of the liberation. 'Didn’t we say never again?' – Never again war. Never again fascism. Stand up for peace.

Given the political and social shift to the right and the rise in extreme right-wing attacks, in the spirit of ‘Never again’ we must ask ourselves: What can we do?

Commemoration ceremony in remembrance of the Jews murdered on the death marches from Mauthausen/Gusen to Gunskirchen at the Kremsbrücke next to Gasthaus Stockinger.

Registration

Commemoration ceremony for the victims of the St. Aegyd Satellite Camp

Registration

Mauthausen Cantata ‘Freedom came in May’

based on a story by Iakovos Kambanellis and a composition by Mikis Theodorakis

Marion AHAMER, piano; Maria HOFER, vocals and Helge STIEGLER, clarinet and reading

Registration

Memorial walk/Spominska Hoja for the victims of National Socialist justice in Klagenfurt

Meeting point: Burghof (castle courtyard) in Klagenfurt

Registration

'Together for peace – Never again war or fascism' – Vigil of the Catholic Austrian Student Association Riegersburg (MKV)

The vigil against neo-Nazism, violence and extremism will be held at the memorial to the victims of the Nazi death marches of 1945 in Fürstenfeld city park.

Speaker: Gerald L. GUSCHLBAUER
Musical accompaniment: Peter J. HEINRICH

Registration

Commemoration event remembering the death of national hero Franc Pasterk-Lenart and all the victims who are buried in the cemetery in Bad Eisenkappel / Železna Kapla

The cemetery in Bad Eisenkappel / Železna Kapla is a place to remember the courageous resistance to National Socialism. Altogether, 154 victims are buried here, including partisans, supporters and civilians who fought for freedom and justice.

The central memorial and numerous graves tell the history of resistance in this region. Figures such as Franc Pasterk-Lenart and Peter Kuchar are symbolic of the courage and self-sacrificing spirit of the people who fought against the Nazi fascist regime here. Their stories remind us to stand up for democracy and human rights.

Registration

Film premiere of ‘Projekt Marmor – verdrängt und vergessen’ (Project Marble – Suppressed and Forgotten)

At the premiere, Graz school students Artur IRMLER and Fynn PRUENSTER will present the film ‘Projekt Marmor – verdrängt und vergessen’ that they have produced at the young age of 17 years old. The 52-minute documentary focuses on Peggau, a village just outside Graz, which was home to the largest satellite camp in the whole of Styria during the Second World War.

Today, nobody pays much attention to the 900 metre long tunnels where the inmates had to work. They have been broken into and spoiled with litter and graffiti of swastikas.

Liberation ceremony at the site of the former Lenzing Satellite Camp

with Silvia DINHOF-CUETO, Association in Remembrance of the Republican Spaniards in Austria

Registration

20 years of ‘Zukunft braucht Erinnerung’ (future needs remembrance) – review and outlook

Film screening with interviews from 2005, reports from those involved and images from 20 years ago.

Prof. Gerald LAMPRECHT, Network Coordinator of erinnern.at und Head of the Centre for Jewish Studies at the University of Graz: Commemorating and remembering in the future – but how?

Registration

Guided memorial walk: In remembrance of the death march of Hungarian Jewish forced labourers in spring 1945

with Peter GERSTMANN

Memorial walk from the memorial next to the former Nitscha town hall via the Jungberg and Schießstattgasse to the memorial on Rathausplatz in Gleisdorf.

Meeting point: Nitscha fire station
Travel via taxi is also possible. Contact: +43 (0) 664 201 6182

Registration

Unveiling of the "Kuhn-Gugig Memorial"

A memorial for Willi Gugig and Leo Kuhn, survivors of Nazi terror in the Buchenwald and Mauthausen/Ebensee concentration camps, as an impetus for reflection for people today

‘In Memoriam’ – Mauthausen Cantata by Mikis Theodorakis

Music: ‘I Fisakkordeonisti’
Names of the concentration camp victims
Texts written by former concentration camp inmates
Candles in the chancel of the church

Registration

Film screening of 'Hasenjagd – Vor lauter Feigheit gibt es kein Erbarmen'

with Andreas GRUBER, Screenwriter, film and TV director

Registration

Commemoration ceremony at the memorial on Rathausplatz

Marking the Memorial Day Against Violence and Racism – in memory of the victims of the Nazi reign of terror

Welcome: Christoph STARK, Mayor of the Town of Gleisdorf, Member of the National Council
Commemoration speech: Andreja HRIBINEK, Director of the Kunsthaus Graz museum (invited)
‘Never again!’: Pupils from the MS Gleisdorf and BG/BRG Gleisdorf schools present contributions on the subject of 1945, 1955 and 1995
Music: Katja FINSEL, cello, Musikschule Gleisdorf (Gleisdorf Music School)

Registration

Book reading: 'Komm über den See' (Come Across the Lake) (Women in the Resistance)

with Elisabeth REICHART, author

'Komm über den See' (Come Across the Lake) tells the story of Ruth Berger, whose mother was broken by the consequences of her resistance in the Third Reich and who today tries to find ways of resisting against a male-dominated world.

Elisabeth REICHART uses recollections, associations and dreams to weave a poetically precise narrative that spans the past and the present day to create an intense reading experience.

Registration

Commemoration ceremony at the site of the former Redl-Zipf Satellite Camp

with former Federal Minister Rudolf ANSCHOBER and the participation of pupils from Neukirchen and Timelkam middle schools.
The ARGE Schlier organisation will be participating in the commemoration ceremony.

Registration

Festival of Joy

The Mauthausen Committee Austria (MKÖ) is organising the Festival of Joy for the thirteenth time in memory of the victims and to mark the joy of liberation from the Nazi reign of terror. This year, the Festival of Joy is dedicated to the main theme '80 Years of Liberation from National Socialism – Never Again and Peace in Europe'.

The highlight of the Festival of Joy will be the speech by contemporary witness Paul Lendvai. We look forward to an outstanding programme featuring 'Requiem A' by Sven Helbig, soloist René Pape, the Dresden Kreuzchor, 'Neue Wiener Stimmen', and the Vienna Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Martin Lehmann. More information at www.festderfreude.at

Go West! Ivan Dynja’s archive – presentation and performative reading

As part of an ongoing creative research project, letters to Ivan Dynja will be presented in the form of a performative reading and presentation. The event will take place in the rooms where Dynja lived for several years after he was deported from Ukraine in 1940 for forced labour.

Aio PER, Gernot PASSATH, Andrii DOSTLIEV (in partnership with ‘After Silence’, Lviv, UKR)

Registration

Commemoration ceremony for the victims of National Socialism at the 'Fremdvölkisches Kinderheim' (Orphanage for Children of Alien Ethnicity)

Registration

International Youth Meeting

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Commemoration ceremony at the site of the former St. Valentin Satellite Camp

On the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the inmates of the former St. Valentin Satellite Camp, a commemoration ceremony including wreath-laying ceremony will take place on this year’s theme: ‘Didn’t we say never again?’

Speaker: Secretary of State Ulrike KOENIGSBERGER-LUDWIG, Charlotte HERMAN, President of the Jewish Community of Linz and Franz FROSCHAUER

The commemoration ceremony is being organised with the involvement of students from the NMS Schubertviertel school and the band ‘Widerstand’ (Resistance).

Registration

Commemoration Ceremony at the Memorial for the Victims of National Socialism

in memory of the victims of war and National Socialism in Braunau

Registration

Commemoration ceremony at the site of the former Ebensee Satellite Camp

Memorial walk at the 'Löwengang' (Lions’ Gate)

Registration

Wreath-laying ceremony at the memorial

Registration

Liberation ceremony at the site of the former Gunskirchen Satellite Camp

Welcome address: Alexander BAECK, Mayor of Edt bei Lambach
Speakers:
Cornelius OBONYA, actor and President of Aktion gegen Antisemitismus in Österreich (Action Against Antisemitism in Austria); György FRISCH, representative of the Hungarian Jewish community; Werner RETZL, Chairman of the Welser Initiative gegen Faschismus (Wels Initiative Against Fascism)

The Mittelschule Gunskirchen school, Singkreis Gunskirchen choir and Peter GILLMAYR will be participating in the liberation ceremony.

Registration

Liberation ceremony at the site of the former Ebensee Satellite Camp

on the 80th anniversary of the liberation from National Socialism

Memorial speech by Robert SCHINDEL, lyricist, director and author

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Commemoration ceremony at the memorial to all the fallen partisans in Austria in the Central Cemetery in Vienna

At the memorial to Yugoslavian partisans in the Central Cemetery on 8 May we want to pay tribute to the liberators and resistance fighters, commemorate the anniversary of the liberation and honour the contribution made by the partisans.

Registration

‘Marcel Callo’ guided tour in the ‘Bergkristall’ (Rock Crystal) tunnel system

There are a limited number of places, so registration is essential.

Registration

Liberation ceremony at the site of the former Gusen Satellite Camp

Act of remembrance on the former roll call square at Gusen with commemorative statements and laying of flowers
Followed by a joint procession from the roll call square to the Gusen Memorial (distance approx. 500 meters)

On May 5, 2025, the liberation of the Mauthausen and Gusen concentration camps marks its 80th anniversary. This milestone will be commemorated with a memorial ceremony at the former Gusen concentration camp, emphasizing the importance of remembrance. The event is held under the motto 'Liberated?!' and explores the multifaceted meaning of freedom and liberation – for the victims, the survivors, and our society today.

Registration

Commemoration ceremony at the Memorial to Roma and Sinti as part of the International Liberation Ceremony

As a result of many years of cooperation between the Cultural Association of Austrian Roma and the Central Council of German Sinti and Roma in Heidelberg, the memorial was opened to the public in an official ceremony on 9 May 1998. Shortly before the end of the war, on 9 March 1945, 450 female Sinti and Roma and their children were transported from Ravensbrück to Mauthausen. The babies and children were murdered by the National Socialists as soon as they arrived.

Organiser: Kulturverein österreichischer Roma (Cultural Association of Austrian Roma)

Commemoration ceremony of the KZ-Verband/VdA Upper Austria for the 42 resistance fighters murdered on 28 April 1945

The memorial plaque, which was unveiled in 2001 in memory of the 42 anti-fascists who were gassed on 28 and 29 April 1945, is an important symbol of commemoration for the political resistance in Austria. The majority of the 42  were part of the so-called 'Welser Gruppe' which was annihilated by the Gestapo in September 1944.

The commemoration ceremony is organised by the KZ-Verband/VdA Upper Austria.

Commemoration ceremony for the social democrats murdered in Mauthausen Concentration Camp

Organiser: Bund Sozialdemokratischer Freiheitskämpfer:innen, Opfer des Faschismus und aktiver Antifaschist:innen (Federation of Social Democratic Freedom Fighters, Victims of Fascism and Active Anti-Fascists)

International Liberation Ceremony 2025 on the theme of 'Didn’t we say never again?'

In 2025, the liberation of the Mauthausen concentration camp and its numerous satellite camps marks its 80th anniversary. The Commemoration Year 2025 serves as a powerful reminder of the immense suffering caused by the Nazi dictatorship: millions of people fell victim to the systematic persecution and murder orchestrated by the Nazi regime.

The International Liberation Ceremony will focus on the theme: "Didn't we say never again?" Once again, the connection to the present remains an essential part of the commemoration.

We invite you to participate in the year-round Virtual Commemoration by submitting a contribution. All information can be found at www.befreiungsfeier.at.

Commemoration ceremony in remembrance of the 'Mühlviertler Menschenhatz' (Mühlviertel Manhunt)

After the Liberation Ceremony at the Mauthausen Concentration Camp Memorial, there will be a commemoration of the victims of the 'Mühlviertel Manhunt' at the memorial in the town of Ried in der Riedmark.

Opening and welcome address: Sabine SCHATZ, Member of the National Council; Christian TAUSCHEK, Mayor of Ried in der Riedmark
Commemoration speech: Andreas KRANEBITTER, Director of the Documentation Centre of Austrian Resistance (DÖW)
Musical accompaniment: Tonfabrik

Registration

Commemoration ceremony at the site of the former Amstetten Satellite Camp

There will be a wreath-laying ceremony and ecumenical prayers.

Speeches: Representatives of MKÖ and of the province of Lower Austria, representatives of Amicale de Mauthausen (Belgium)
Cultural and musical programme by Amstetten schools.

Registration

Commemoration ceremony at the site of the former Melk Satellite Camp

The commemoration ceremony for the victims of the Melk Satellite Camp, which is traditionally attended by survivors of the camp and their families, will focus in this anniversary year on the theme of 'Didn’t we say never again?'

Readings: Students of Melk Stiftsgymnasium
Musical composition: Melk Middle School for Music

Registration

Liberation ceremony at the site of the former Steyr Satellite Camp

Welcome address: Karl RAMSMAIER, Mauthausen Committee Steyr
Welcome: Markus VOGL, Mayor of the City of Steyr
Commemoration speech: Heinz FISCHER, former President of Austria

Biographical traces
Commemoration speech: Claude SIMON, Amicale de Mauthausen (French association in memory of the history of Mauthausen concentration camp)
Contributions from young people from Steyr and France
Wreath-laying ceremony and a minute’s silence
Music: ‘Mandolinenorchester’ Steyr (Steyr mandolin orchestra)

In the event of bad weather, the liberation ceremony will be held inside Münichholz fire station, Prinzstraße 1a, 4400 Steyr.

Registration

Commemoration ceremony in Vöcklabruck

Registration

Commemoration Ceremony for the Prisoners and Victims of the Former Guntramsdorf/Wiener Neudorf Satellite Camp

Following the commemoration ceremony, a wreath-laying will take place at the memorial site on Industriestraße in Neu Guntramsdorf.

Commemoration of the victims of the National Socialist tyranny

Registration

Wreath-laying ceremony at the concentration camp memorial at Attnang-Puchheim train station

Registration

Opening of ‘Zwischenräume’ (Spaces) exhibition

Opening and presentation of the ‘Zwischenräume’ exhibition by Christian RABL, Director of the Melk Centre for Contemporary History

Film screening of ‘Endphase’

Documentary by Hans and Tobias HOCHSTOEGER

Remembrance work often fails due to people’s concerns about making enemies in the area where they live. That’s why the later born generations need to find the courage to ask uncomfortable questions. In the Lower Austrian town of Hofamt Priel, the filmmaker and photographer Hans Hochstöger has made a documentary of this that will probably be one of the last of its kind: an oral history project, searching for the traces of an almost forgotten massacre, in which contemporary witnesses give their versions of what they remember from 1945.

Concert ‘Partisan Songs’

To mark the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War and commemorate the 70th anniversary of the signing of the Austrian State Treaty, choirs from Slovenia and Carinthia / Koroška have come together with an orchestra to hold a series of concerts.

The central focus will be the partisans’ songs and remembering the fight for peace and freedom. The concerts will be accompanied by a small exhibition and multimedia show.

Registration

Memorial concert with the Mauthausen Cantata and other songs

with Otto LECHNER, accordion, and the dachor Persenbeug choir
Text accompaniment: Anne BENNENT, actress

Commemoration ceremony at the Memorial for Peace

Main Theme: Freedom and liberation are never-ending responsibilities. Our motto must be: 'Never forget.' (Quote by Umberto Eco)
Word Collages on the Days of Liberation in the Mühlviertel
Keynote Speaker: Michael JOHN, Historian

We remember the dictatorial constraints imposed by the National Socialist regime, from which the US soldiers freed the region. We also recount the conditions under which the US Army handed many thousands of German soldiers over to the Soviets.

In the event of poor weather, the ceremony will take place under the roof of Fleischmanufaktur Riepl in Anton-Riepl-Straße.

Registration

Forms of remembrance – memorial cultures in Hungary and Austria

Lecture and discussion

with Ursula MINDLER-STEINER, University of Graz and Andrássy University Budapest

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Geh!Denk!Feier! (Walk!Think!Celebrate!) 'remember-urge-act'

in remembrance of the former Linz II Satellite Camp

Students from the two fourth year classes of Adalbert Stifter Praxismittelschule school in Linz have focused on the Nazi period and the Austrian culture of remembrance from a range of perspectives through different projects, workshops and their lessons, but also during excursions and conversations with contemporary witnesses. From this work, they have then created pieces of writing that will be presented as part of the annual Geh!Denk!Feier! (Walk!Think!Celebrate!) event.

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Commemoration ceremony at the site of the former Dipoldsau Satellite Camp

The keynote speaker is author Anna GOLDENBERG. In her first book, 'Versteckte Jahre' (Hidden Years), she tells the story of her grandparents, who survived the Holocaust. The event's content is based on the MKÖ’s annual theme: 'Didn’t we say ‘Never Again’?'

Speeches from representatives of the municipality of Weyer and the MKÖ will be part of the commemoration.

Pupils from Weyer Secondary School will perform two musical pieces. The names of the victims will be read out individually, and white roses will be placed at the memorial site.

The ceremony will conclude with a prayer by Weyer priest Walter DORFER, followed by a musical piece from the album 'Silent Tears: The Last Yiddish Tango', based on testimonies of women who survived the Holocaust.

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Liberation ceremony at the site of the former Schloss Lind (Lind Castle) Satellite Camp

Karin REINPRECHT: Opening of 'BEIHILFE' (Assistance) exhibition

Music: NOREIA QUARTETT (Noreia Quartet)

Registration

‘Stones of Remembrance’ tour

Led by Christina KANDLER, Association MERKwürdig Contemporary History Centre Melk

During the tour, details will be shared of the victims’ lives and the context of Nazi persecution within the community will be examined. The tour will visit all the memorial sites in Persenbeug-Gottsdorf.

Theatre against forgetting: ‘Never again!’

A collection of scenes by ‘Die Wilden Alten’ (The Wild Old People theatre group) for a better world

Twenty-two people aged between 65 and 90 years old will bring to the stage their statement against war and for peace and freedom.
Director: Otto KOEHLMEIER

Registration

18th March of Life in memory of the 250 Hungarian Jews who died in 1945

We will commemorate the 250 Hungarian Jews who died in 1945 and walk along their path together.

The meeting point is at 9:45 a.m. in the Präbichl Skiarena. At 10 a.m. the March of Life will lead via the Almhäuser to the memorial (approx. half an hour‘s walk).

Please bring a fist-sized stone in memory of the victims. Warm clothing and rain gear are recommended.

Registration

Commemoration ceremony at the memorial

in memory of the 250 Hungarian Jews who died in 1945

Registration

Concert ‘Partisan Songs’

To mark the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War and commemorate the 70th anniversary of the signing of the Austrian State Treaty, choirs from Slovenia and Carinthia / Koroška have come together with an orchestra to hold a series of concerts.

The central focus will be the partisans’ songs and remembering the fight for peace and freedom. The concerts will be accompanied by a small exhibition and multimedia show.

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Commemoration ceremony at the site of the former Wagna/Leibnitz Satellite Camp

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Commemoration ceremony for victims of the Nazi regime in Bachmanning

The Bachmanning Commemoration Initiative remembers the local victims of Nazi terror.
Speakers: Karl KASER, Mayor of Bachmanning; Andreas GRUBER, Director; and Robert EITER, Board Member of the Mauthausen Committee Austria
Musical accompaniment: Musikverein Bachmanning

In case of bad weather, the commemoration ceremony will take place at Gasthaus Sterrer, Dorfplatz 1.

International commemoration ceremony at the site of the former Loibl-Nord Satellite Camp

Commemoration speech: Heinz FISCHER, former President of Austria
Voice of the descendants of contemporary witnesses: the family of Janko TIŠLER
Music: Silvia IGERC, zither, and Arthur OTTOWITZ, harmonica
As in previous years, the event will take place with a speaker representing the young people.

The commemoration ceremony follows the tradition of trying to anchor this long 'forgotten' Mauthausen satellite camp in Carinthia’s and Austria’s cultural memory. Mauthausen Committee Carinthia/Koroška feels a moral duty towards the victims of Loiblpass Concentration Camps, to tell the story of their suffering and dying, but also to preserve their story of courageous resistance and survival with honour.

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International Liberation Ceremony at the site of the former Loibl-Süd Satellite Camp

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'Svobodni! Liberated! A Festival in Honour of Resistance/Praznujum upor'

The ‘Svobodni! Liberated!’ festival on Domplatz in Klagenfurt / Celovec brings together culture, music, talks, gastronomy and discussions to foster a diverse culture of remembrance of the resistance against the Nazi regime. It focuses on the historical burden of the Domplatz and places the existing memorial in a much wider context. Numerous initiatives will present their work and invite visitors to come and talk to them. The festival sends a signal for democracy and social justice and against exclusion by linking historical resistance with current civil society actions.

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Commemoration ceremony at the site of the former Bretstein Satellite Camp

Speaker: Günter EICHBERGER
Born in 1959 in Oberzeiring (Styria), Günter EICHBERGER lives in Graz as a freelance writer. In addition to plays and radio dramas, he has published a number of prose collections.

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Commemoration ceremony for the victims of St. Pantaleon-Weyer camp

The commemoration ceremony will take place under the motto ‘25 years as a place of remembrance’

Welcome address: Federal President Alexander VAN DER BELLEN
Musical accompaniment: Demokratischer Chor Braunau (Braunau Democratic Choir)

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Commemorative event to remember the victims of the Peršman massacre and the Hojnik family

The commemorative event will be held at the Peršman farm. You are invited to commemorate the victims and pay tribute to the resistance of the Carinthian Slovenes.

At a time when a culture of remembrance is more important than ever, this event is intended to send a signal against forgetting and act as a firm commitment to anti-fascism and justice.

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Commemoration ceremony at the site of the former Floridsdorf Satellite Camp

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Talk: 'My father, the deserter part II'

with Erhard GASSNER, contemporary witness
Introductory lecture: Maria POHN-LAUGGAS, Universities of Vienna and Bochum
Moderation: Ingrod BOEHLER, University of Innsbruck

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Following the trail of the Resistance – memorial walk around the Böndlsee lake

‘Remembrance in motion’ under the direction of Esche SCHOERGHOFER, Vienna
Musical accompaniment: Bertl MUETTER, trombone

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Commemoration of the victims of 2 July 1944

The commemoration takes place in memory of the ‘Sturm auf Goldegg’ (Assault on Goldegg) on 2 July 1944.
Commemorative speech: Walter THALER, Zell am See

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Memorial hike up the Kömmel / Komelj

The memorial hike up the Kömmel / Komelj remembers the twelve fallen victims of the Domen Company of partisan fighters, who were brutally murdered by SS troops on 12 October 1944, and Lipej Kolenik-Stanko, a former resistance fighter and a committed and vocal supporter of peace and the democratic renewal of Austria.

The route will take in the different memorial sites for these events and keep the memory of resistance against National Socialism alive.

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Memorial hike 'Summer 1944 – walk of remembrance'

To mark the 81st anniversary of the massacre of the civilian population by the National Socialists and fascists in the Italian Carnic Mountain pastures, we will hike to the memorial chapel on the Promoser Alm/Cra. Pramosio and on to Timau.

The trail leads via the Bischofalm, a section of the Karnischer Höhenweg (Carnic Peace Trail) and the Kronhofer Törl to the Promoser Alm – Malga di Pramosio (Italy). We will commemorate the innocent victims at the alpine chapel at 10 a.m. After a stop for refreshments at the Alm-Agriturismo mountain hut, we will descend to Timau/Tischlwang via the Plöckenstraße.

Meeting point: Weidenburg fire station at 5:30 a.m.

Please note: This is a long and steep hike. Adequate gear and fitness are required!

Register via telephone and bring a valid ID/passport.
Coordination: Hannes Guggenberger: +43 660 350 32 71

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‘Following the paths of resistance in remembrance of Johan, Gašper, Lenart and Jelka’

This memorial hike will lead through Lobnig / Lobnik to all the remote mountain farms that actively supported the resistance and on to the Peršman Museum. These farms are connected by a special story of resistance, which is remembered year after year through this hike.

Karel Prušnik-Gašper, Franc Pasterk-Lenart and Helena Kuchar-Jelka, who the hike was named after, were all born here. The memorial hike remembers these three people and also highlights how crucial the support from the civilian population was for the success of the resistance.

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Opening of ‘Codename Spielwarenfabrik’ (Code Name Toy Factory) exhibition

Official opening of the exhibition about the St. Valentin Satellite Camp

Excursion to  former sattelite camp ‘Schloss Lind’

with a guided tour of ‘Schloss Lind:das ANDERE heimatmuseum’ (‘The alternative museum of local history’)

Registration

Commemoration ceremony for the victims of the Strasshof transit camp

Commemoration ceremony at the memorial to the victims of National Socialism

Commemoration ceremony for those who were persecuted in the Upper Drau Valley. Expansion of the memorial to include Johann Tiefnig and Nikolaj Buzomet.

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Commemoration Ceremony for the Prisoners and Victims of the Former Guntramsdorf/Wiener Neudorf Satellite Camp

For more information, visit gedenkverein.org

Commemoration ceremony for the victims of Nazi euthanasia at Hartheim Castle

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Commemoration ceremony at the site of the former Ternberg Satellite Camp

remembering the victims of National Socialism

Music: Choir of Ternberg middle school and the 'Soulservice' band

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‘Long Night of Museums’ at Peršman Museum

The museum at the Peršman farm is the only museum in Austria that focuses on the expulsion of the Carinthian Slovenes and the partisan resistance. Part of the exhibition is also dedicated to the massacre that took place at the Peršman farm in 1945.

The detailed reconstruction of events reveals the shocking brutality with which a whole family, including babies and children, was murdered here.

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‘Ston Hike’

The ‘Ston Hike’ remembers the partisan fighters who lost their lives during the Second World War while resisting fascism in the region. The hike will visit the memorial sites in St. Johann im Rosental / Šentjanž and on the Rabenberg / na Rutah, where memorials remember the fallen partisans and the priest Janez Hornböck, who was murdered in Dachau.

The hike is dedicated to the memory of the partisan Bogdan Mohor-Ston, who organised the resistance in Rosental / Rož. It has been held on the second Sunday in October since 2015 and it helps to keep the memory of the anti-fascist struggle and of the victims of Nazi persecution alive.

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Commemoration ceremony for the victims for a free Austria

The central commemoration event at the Klagenfurt Central Cemetery Annabichl / Trnja vas remembers the partisans and victims of the National Socialist terror regime who are buried there. Many of them were buried by the Nazis secretly in unmarked graves in order to conceal their crimes.

A memorial erected by Carinthian anti-fascist organisations honours the fallen and its list of names is continuously being updated on the initiative of the Memorial Carinthia/Koroška organisation.

The ceremony will particularly remember the partisans Jurij Ravnik-Sašo and Janez Županc-Johan, who lost their lives fighting for Austria’s freedom. This event acts as a reminder of the past and sends a signal against forgetting.

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Silent act of remembrance

Remembering the executions of Alois Buder, August Egger, Karl Rupitsch and Kaspar Wind at Mauthausen Concentration Camp 81 years ago

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Remembrance and wreath-laying ceremonies for the fallen and murdered victims of National Socialism

Every year we remember by laying wreaths in cemeteries and at memorials to the fallen resistance fighters across Carinthia / Koroška.

Commemoration ceremony at the memorial of the Municipality of Vienna to the victims of a free Austria 1934–1945

with guard of honour by the armed forces

Meeting point: 3 p.m., Central Cemetery, roundabout Group 41
Then (around 3:30 p.m.): Speech and reading at the National Memorial, Group 40
Then: Wreath-laying ceremony at the memorial to the Yugoslavian partisans

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Commemoration ceremony at the site of the former Hinterbrühl Satellite Camp on All Saints Day

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March for peace for the victims of the Großraming Satellite Camp

The march for peace will start with a wreath-laying ceremony at the ‘Kriegerdenkmal’ (war memorial) on Kirchenplatz. This will be followed by a silent procession through the village to the memorial in the roundabout. The names of the 227 victims will be read out during the silent procession.

Adolf BRUNNTHALER will commemorate the victims at the memorial in the roundabout with a brief address.

Registration

All Souls’ Day commemoration event

The All Souls’ Day commemoration event in St. Michael ob Bleiburg / Šmihel ob Pliberku remembers the young partisan Karel Klun-Marko, who died fighting against National Socialism aged only 18. Since it was relocated in 1947, his grave in the cemetery of the St. Michael Parish Church has been carefully tended to and honoured with the addition of an obelisk with a bilingual inscription.

The commemoration event honours his sacrifice and acts as a symbol of the fight against oppression and remembering those who gave their lives for freedom and justice.

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Act of remembrance for the victims of the 'Fremdvölkisches Kinderheim' at Etzelsdorf Castle (Orphanage for Children of Alien Ethnicity)

To commemorate the '20 Jahre Erinnerungsarbeit' (20 years of Remembrance Work), we remember the children of Slavic forced labourers.

Commemoration speech: Manfred SCHEUER, Diocesan Bishop of Linz

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Wreath-laying ceremony and commemoration with musical accompaniment

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New Year’s Eve commemoration ceremony at the site of the former Hinterbrühl Satellite Camp

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