War memorials

War memorials have been erected by towns or villages, the church, or the Comradeship Association in order to cultivate and facilitate remembrance of those who died as soldiers. These memorials glossed over the causes, consequences, and purpose of the war, and especially the crimes of the Nazi reign of terror, in order to enable an unbroken identification with the past. For this reason, only soldiers were commemorated, and they were sometimes called “victims of both World Wars”.

There was no place for the victims of NS persecution since their mention would raise questions about the causes and the people responsible. These omissions were painful for the relatives of victims of NS persecution, who were left with no place of mourning. Sometimes, perfunctorily, the term “historical error” was mentioned on site. Nazi victims were listed amongst the “fallen soldiers”, as is the case with the war memorial in Bodensdorf at Lake Ossiach. Fritz Kögler (1898–1938), mentioned in this way, was no soldier. He was detained on 11 March 1938 for political reasons and deported to the Dachau concentration camp in May 1938. Shortly thereafter, his family learned about his violent death.

War memorials are often situated in public space and effectively dominate central squares.