Murdered for Nazis

65 victims’ names are snatched from oblivion

The concrete foundation has already been completed and the rest will follow soon.(Bild: Erinnern Gailtal)

A memorial is being erected in Hermagor in Carinthia in memory of those murdered by the Nazis. Donations are now being collected. 

"In the Carinthian district of Hermagor, there is still no memorial to the many victims of National Socialism," criticizes Bernhard Gitschtaler from the "Erinnern Gailtal" association, which was founded in 2012.

But that will soon change: in November, the municipality erected the foundations near the school center, and the rest of the long-requested "memorial of names" will follow next year.

A worthy memorial
From 8 May 2025, 65 names of people from the district of Hermagor who were murdered during the Second World War will be commemorated there: "The project is being financed by the 'Erinnern Gailtal' association and the municipality under Mayor Leopold Astner," explains Gitschtaler, one of the three initiators of the project.

"However, as this is about our ancestors and the history of us all, everyone who wants to should have the opportunity to participate in the project," says Gitschtaler, referring to his own funding campaign at www.respekt.net.

The aim is to finance two large glass plaques with the names of those killed, the lighting and the inauguration ceremony. Donations can still be made until the end of the year. "The memorial will be dedicated by Episcopal Vicar Engelbert Guggenberger," says Bernhard Gitschtaler.