Austria to Rename Streets Paying Homage to Nazi Affiliates

The town council has voted to rename streets that honor Nazi supporters after a report deemed the existing names unconstitutional.

In a significant move, Braunau am Inn, Adolf Hitler's birthplace, is set to rename two streets that have long been criticized for commemorating individuals affiliated with the Nazi regime. This decision, made public after a secret council vote on Wednesday, comes in response to ongoing local backlash and a governmental report highlighting the unconstitutionality of retaining these names.

The streets are named after Josef Reiter, a composer, and Franz Resl, an entertainer, both of whom were members of the Nazi Party. Following the renaming, approximately 200 households will be affected as they receive new addresses. The discussion around this change has underscored the historical complexities in Austria, where the government has often faced scrutiny for its portrayal of its role in World War II, with many historians arguing that it prefers to adopt a victim narrative over an acknowledgment of participation in the conflict.

The Mauthausen Committee, an organization dedicated to preserving the memory of Holocaust victims, expressed support for the renaming, labeling it a "decision with symbolic significance." Committee chairman Willi Mernyi noted their efforts to advocate for this change and thanked the supporters who rallied behind their cause. There's hope that the new names may honor resistance figures such as former deputy mayor Lea Olczak, whose father perished in Mauthausen, and Maria Stromberger, a defiant nurse at Auschwitz.

Austria has previously renamed numerous streets linked to Nazi history, including one named after Ferdinand Porsche, founder of the eponymous car company, yet a substantial number of streets with similar associations still persist. The Holocaust claimed the lives of around 65,000 Austrian Jews as part of the larger Nazi campaign resulting in over six million Jewish fatalities.