The council of Braunau am Inn in Austria announced a decision to rename two streets that honor members of the Nazi party following persistent pressure from the community. This action comes after a report deemed the street names unconstitutional, highlighting the need for reflection on Austria's involvement in World War Two. The streets, named after composer Josef Reiter and entertainer Franz Resl, will affect approximately 200 local households.
This change is emblematic of a broader discourse on how Austria confronts its past, often viewed as positioning itself more as a victim than an active participant during the war. The Mauthausen Committee has praised the renaming as a "decision with symbolic significance." This committee has long advocated for acknowledgement of the atrocities committed during the Holocaust, where an estimated 90,000 prisoners lost their lives at the Mauthausen concentration camp alone. The chairman, Willi Mernyi, expressed gratitude to those who supported the renaming initiative.
Further suggestions for the new street names include honoring Austrian figures who resisted the Nazi regime, such as former deputy mayor Lea Olczak and nurse Maria Stromberger, both of whom opposed the atrocities of the time. While numerous streets have been renamed throughout Austria to eradicate Nazi associations, remnants of past glories still linger, prompting calls for more action, even 80 years after the war's conclusion. The Holocaust left an indelible mark on history, with approximately 65,000 Austrian Jews among the millions murdered under Nazi policies aimed at ethnic extermination, including Jews, Slavic, and Roma populations.
This change is emblematic of a broader discourse on how Austria confronts its past, often viewed as positioning itself more as a victim than an active participant during the war. The Mauthausen Committee has praised the renaming as a "decision with symbolic significance." This committee has long advocated for acknowledgement of the atrocities committed during the Holocaust, where an estimated 90,000 prisoners lost their lives at the Mauthausen concentration camp alone. The chairman, Willi Mernyi, expressed gratitude to those who supported the renaming initiative.
Further suggestions for the new street names include honoring Austrian figures who resisted the Nazi regime, such as former deputy mayor Lea Olczak and nurse Maria Stromberger, both of whom opposed the atrocities of the time. While numerous streets have been renamed throughout Austria to eradicate Nazi associations, remnants of past glories still linger, prompting calls for more action, even 80 years after the war's conclusion. The Holocaust left an indelible mark on history, with approximately 65,000 Austrian Jews among the millions murdered under Nazi policies aimed at ethnic extermination, including Jews, Slavic, and Roma populations.
