Conflict over Laakirchen's culture of remembrance continues

The Green Youth Upper Austria is calling on Laakirchen’s mayor Fritz Feichtinger (SPÖ) to rethink his memorial plans. Because a market and event square is being built in the city center, three monuments have to be relocated or demolished: the one for the fallen soldiers of the world wars, the one for murdered Laakirchen resistance fighters and the one for the gendarme Josef Lukesch, who was murdered by the Nazis. The memorials should not just be moved or relocated for reasons of space. From Feichtinger’s point of view, it would be disrespectful to hold fun events around a memorial to concentration camp victims.

“These plans by the community leader take the memory out of sight and make the names disappear. Therefore, they must all be rejected,” says Leonie Stüger, spokeswoman for the Green Youth Gmunden.

From Feichtinger’s point of view, the criticism comes too early. On the one hand, the names of the soldiers will “certainly” be recorded in the future memorial for the fallen in the cemetery. In what form remains to be seen. “Experts from the Federal Monuments Office also give us hope that the current memorial to the fallen would survive a move,” says Feichtinger. “This is now being examined.” New locations in the center of the city are still being sought for the other two memorials. Everything is still open here too.