NS street names in Salzburg: No renaming, but additional signs
Unlike Mayor Harald Preuner (ÖVP) originally intended, however, those 13 streets are now being given explanatory boards that are named after people who were particularly deeply involved in the Nazi regime. Originally, the city chief only wanted this in four cases.
Final vote in municipal council meeting
The final vote will not take place until the meeting of the municipal council on December 15th, anything but a majority in favor of the path that has now been decided would be a surprise after the decision today. On Thursday, both the SPÖ, which wanted five streets to be renamed, and the green citizens’ list, which had called for all 13 streets to be renamed, remained in the minority in the culture committee. They were overruled by the ÖVP and the FPÖ. All other parliamentary groups in the Salzburg municipal council have neither a seat nor a right to vote on the committee.
Explanatory panels for NS street names unanimously
On the other hand, the request to put up explanatory panels in the 13 cases was unanimously accepted. Of course, the City Council of Salzburg had already approved an official report in 2018, which provided for additional general signs on street name signs with references to namesake polluted by the Nazis. It was also decided on Thursday that the texts for the respective explanatory board would be presented to the culture committee again.
Final report presented in June
After three years of work in the city of Salzburg, the 1,100-page final report of a historians’ advisory board was presented at the beginning of June. The commission meticulously processed the roles of 66 “brown” street names and divided them into three classes – depending on how closely they were involved with the Nazi regime. For 13 people (“Category 3”) the connections to the National Socialists were so serious that the political decision-makers should also rename them, the Advisory Board.
For people in the other two categories, however, an entry in the digital city map or on the NS website of the city of Salzburg (“Category 1”) or the addition of explanatory boards (“Category 2”) was suggested. Because the information about street names that can be called up in the digital city map is little known and also not accessible, the Culture Committee decided today to revise the digital city map. In addition, the use of QR codes on street name signs should be checked, which would then lead to a corresponding entry.
Prominent names: From Herbert von Karajan to Ferdinand Porsche
Among the 13 heavily burdened namesakes there are also very prominent names: for example the conductor Herbert von Karajan, the automobile designer Ferdinand Porsche, the sculptor Josef Thorak and the founder of the Salzburg Advent Singing, Tobias Reiser.
(Source: APA)