Salzburg rethinks

First Nazi street gets a new name

The street in Salzburg-Parsch is renamed.(Bild: Andreas Tröster)

After years, Salzburg's city politicians are having a rethink: Heinrich-Damisch-Straße in Parsch is to be given a new name this year. Helene Taussig is the favorite to take over the name. 

Heinrich-Damisch-Straße is a tranquil street. The front gardens are well-kept, the garbage cans are neatly lined up at the edge of the sidewalk. In the small cross street in Salzburg-Parsch, there are only detached houses and apartment buildings. The only blot on the street: its name. Damisch was an anti-Semite and National Socialist.

13 streets selected by commission
In 2021, a specially convened historical commission presented its findings. It had researched the biographies of around 60 Nazi personalities after whom names and squares in the city were named. The commission recommended renaming 13 streets - including Karajan-Platz, Thorak-Straße and Damisch-Straße.

Damisch, who was born in Vienna, was a co-founder of the Salzburg Festival and a journalist. He expressed clear anti-Semitic views on several occasions and joined the NSDAP as early as 1932. However, the historian's report ended up in a drawer. The municipal council decided not to make any changes.

Broad approval in the city government
When the new city government took office under Mayor Bernhard Auinger (SPÖ), the issue was raised again. "An official report is to be presented this year," said the city manager. The Green Citizens' List and KPÖ Plus in particular are exerting pressure. "This step is hugely important and was long overdue," says Citizens' List leader Ingeborg Haller. City deputy Kay-Michael Dankl (KPÖ Plus) also wants to change the name quickly. "Anyone who was involved in the Nazi terror regime cannot be a role model."

Auinger wants to turn the name change into a pilot project. Residents of the street would have to be informed. They would be faced with a great deal of bureaucracy and costs. The city wants to support them. Incidentally, Helene Taussig has been named as Damisch's replacement. The artist perished in the Izbica ghetto in 1942 and is favored by historians. "As pleasing as the first renaming is, it can only be the beginning," says Haller.