City of Braunau

Historian’s report on “brown stains” available

The name of the "nationalist tone poet" and Jew-hater Josef Reiter adorns a street in Braunau; he was also awarded honorary citizenship, which is still upheld today.(Bild: Pressefoto Scharinger/Daniel Scharinger)

The fact that "brown spots" can still be seen in the public street scene in Braunau, of all places, has been a source of incomprehension and anger among anti-fascists for years. A historian's report commissioned by the town now supports the view that the names of at least two streets and a staircase were given by highly problematic Nazi activists.

80 years after the liberation from National Socialism, Adolf Hitler's hometown of Braunau still has an honorary citizen: the fanatical Nazi, Jew-hater and "völkisch tone poet" Josef Reiter (1862-1939).

In a letter, he had wished, among other things, that all Ringstrasse trees in Vienna should be adorned with "uplifted" (sic!) Jews. A street in Braunau also bears his name.

Honorary citizenship revoked
The report on "brown stains" commissioned by the city from historian Florian Schwanninger is now available. In addition to Reiter, the SA-Obersturmführer Franz Resl (1883-1954) and the Gauheimatpfleger Eduard Kriechbaum (1887-1958), after whom a street and a staircase are named respectively, are also considered highly problematic.

The Mauthausen Committee (MKÖ) and the Antifa Network are now appealing to City Mayor Hannes Waidbacher (ÖVP) to quickly revoke Reiter's honorary citizenship and rename the two streets and the staircase.

Positive signals
"We are hearing from Braunau city politicians that the chances of a sensible solution are good," says MKÖ Chairman Willi Mernyi optimistically. Article 9 of the state treaty would also oblige the removal of "brown spots".

"The names of Nazi victims or personalities from the resistance should be used for new names. Preferably women, because they are clearly underrepresented as namesakes for public spaces," suggests Robert Eiter, spokesperson for the Antifa network.

Information boards
In his report, Florian Schwanninger also shed light on the biography of the doctor and Nazi air corps radio operator Wilhem Scheuba (1886-1962), after whom a street in Braunau is named. Eiter: "However, due to Scheuba's relatively low profile, appropriate information boards could suffice here."