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Austria
Day of Remembrance: 5 May
Historical Background:
On 5 May 1945, the 11th US Armored Division liberated the
concentration camp at Mauthausen in Austria. More than 15,000 bodies
were found and buried in mass graves in the next few days. In the
following weeks 3,000 of the liberated prisoners died of
malnutrition, disease or exhaustion.
Austria and the Holocaust:
Lexicon entry from Yad Vashem's online Holocaust Resource Center:
Austria.
Educational Activities:
As in all commemorating countries, activities include commemoration
of the Holocaust and the various instances of genocide in the
twentieth century, reflection on ways to promote human rights,
tolerance, and inter-religious and intercultural dialogue. For
twenty years Austrian schools have been inviting Holocaust survivors
and experts on twentieth century politics and history to discuss
this theme. Schools also run projects and visit memorial sites.
Annual conferences on this theme are organized as part of teacher
training. Since 1997, when the Day was launched, the president and
government have participated. Ministerial project: ”National
Socialism and the Holocaust, Remembrance and the Present,” in
cooperation with the International School for Holocaust Studies at
Yad Vashem. This project is based on the “Memorandum of
Understanding on Cultural and Educational Cooperation” concluded
between Austria and Israel.
In Grade 8 the curricula of all schools offer an intensive treatment
of National Socialism, the Holocaust and acts of persecution.
Austrian students receive comprehensive information concerning these
issues in the course of their history classes. Teaching about the
Holocaust is a mandatory topic in the school curricula of the
comprehensive subjects history, social studies and civic education.
This was regulated by the Federal Ministry of Education, Science and
Culture for all types of schools from Grade 8 to Grades 12/13. The
Holocaust is also taught within the framework of other subjects,
particularly German, foreign languages, religious studies, ethics,
psychology and philosophy. This is intended to follow the
educational principle of Civic Education, as set forth by the
Austrian Federal Ministry for Education, Science and Culture.
Educational Activities on Holocaust
Memorial Day:
Austria's Memorial Day is commemorated
on May 5th, the liberation of Mauthausen. The commmemorative
events can be found on :
http://www.politik-lernen.at/goto/polis/on/aktionstage_2007/
Websites and Teaching Aids:
Main commemorative events can be found at:
http://www.politik-lernen.at/goto/polis/on/aktionstage_2007/
“Nationalsozialismus und Holocaust”:
www.erinnern.at
Mauthausen Memorial:
www.mauthausen-memorial.at
Information on National Socialism and the Holocaust:
www.nationalsozialismus.at
“Hartheim Castle – Place of Learning and Remembrance”:
www.schloss-hartheim.at
Jewish Museum of Vienna:
www.jmw.at
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