2024-07-31 06:00:00
A year later, former local councilor and current deputy mayor Kay-Michael Dankl (KPÖ plus) requested that the monument to the anti-Semitic composer be removed. The first street renaming will likely occur as a pilot program in the fall.
The controversial monument to Hanspfitzner on the street of the same name in Nonthal was demolished. Only a bare patch of lawn now bears traces of the stone, which commemorates the composer and author of anti-Semitic works.
In March 2023, Kay-Michael Dankl (KPÖ plus), who was still serving as a local councilor at the time, submitted a proposal to remove the monument or provide it with an information board. Fifteen months later, the stone was transported to the Salzburg Museum warehouse for safekeeping.
“Today, Pfitzner is not a person who deserves to be respected in public spaces in the city of Salzburg. It is welcome that the Pfitzner monument has been dismantled and moved to the Salzburg Museum Warehouse,” Deputy Mayor Danker said of the controversial composer.
Hans Pfitzner: composer and anti-Semitic writer
Hans Pfitzner’s involvement and sympathy with National Socialism is documented. The German composer and conductor, born in Moscow in 1869, has come under scrutiny many times since the 1920s for his German nationalist and anti-Semitic statements and writings. After Adolf Hitler came to power, he actively sought connections with the Braunau native and received several positions and awards. “In 1933, he boycotted the Salzburg Music Festival because of his support for the Nazis. In 1938, he called on people to vote for the Anschluss. In 1944, he was included in the Nazis’ privileged list of ‘God-given’ artists, including Hitler’s Artist. Even after World War II, Pfitzner remained an anti-Semite and denied the Holocaust in The Luster of World War II, published posthumously in 1949. He died in Salzburg after living here briefly.
How two monuments were erected to Pfitzner in Salzburg
In February 1958, on the occasion of the widow’s 65th birthday, the Salzburg Regional Council, composed of the local councils of SPÖ, ÖVP, FPÖ and KPÖ, unanimously voted to name the new street in Nontal “Hans-Pfitzner-Straße”. Mary Pfitzner.
In the 1960s, the first attempts were made to erect a memorial plaque at the composer’s former home at Haunspergstrasse 33. However, the homeowner refused. Another attempt was made in 1993, but the owners remained opposed. Today’s choices are the Mozart Museum and Hanspfitzner Strasse. It became the latter.
“The monument was officially erected in July 1993,” explains Sabine Veits-Falk, director of the House of City History. There are two schools of thought when dealing with monuments that have different values over time, Weisz-Faulk said. One plan is to remove the monument. Another variant envisions an information board or artistic intervention that critically addresses the issue and balances the monument. “You decide based on the situation, and in this case, the decision was made to remove the monument to Hanspfitzner,” said the head of the city archives.
Salzburg, Sorak and other Nazi-influenced street names
Nazi-tainted street names have also been a contentious issue in city politics for years. Since 2008, the City Archives has been dealing with the history of Salzburg during the National Socialist period on behalf of the local council. The order was expanded in 2018. Traffic areas named after people associated with the Nazi regime should be scientifically studied and divided into clear categories. The starting point was a political discussion about Josef Tolac Avenue. In a report released in 2021, 13 of the 66 Nazi-influenced street names were classified as category three. In this category, due to the person’s serious involvement in the Nazi regime, the advisory committee recommended a political discussion and possible renaming of the local council. In addition to Josef-Thorak-Straße, this is also Hans-Pfitzner-Straße in Nonthal.
Previously: Against renaming, but for infoboards
In December 2021, despite the renaming proposal, an overwhelming majority of the local council members, including ÖVP, FPÖ, SALZ list and one vote (21 votes) from NEOS, voted generally against the renaming of the third category street names. Instead, it was decided to set up information boards.
2024: Road renaming pilot scheme (Class III roads)
Things looked different in the new city government. The work plan, signed by a majority of the local council, includes a pilot project to rename streets. The magistrates of the second department are responsible under the leadership of department head Dagmar Aigner.
“Experience shows that renaming is generally not popular because it involves an address change,” Veits-Falk explains. But there are some examples you can follow. In Linz, for example, there are citizen messages in which citizens explain at different dates why their names were changed. There is also administrative assistance and availability to ask questions.
“In autumn 2024, MA2 will submit a formal report on political decisions,” explains Mayor Bernhard Auinger (SPÖ). “It is recommended to rename a street and, on the other hand, to rename the structure of a cross-departmental project.” Close cooperation between offices and departments is very important. The Municipal Archives is responsible for suggesting new names. The pilot program will then be evaluated.
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