Dark History — Graz Under National Socialism

What's the walk about?

Welcome to a difficult but necessary walk through the historic centre of Graz. This is a journey of remembrance, not entertainment. After the Anschluss of March 1938, the regime singled out Graz as the 'Stadt der Volkserhebung', the 'City of the People's Uprising', honouring its early and fervent National Socialism. Over roughly 2.8 kilometres, we trace what that meant on these streets: staged propaganda and mass rallies, the persecution of the Jewish community and the burning of the synagogue on Kristallnacht, the apparatus of Nazi rule and Gestapo terror, the Allied bombing of the city, and the forced labour that dug its air-raid shelters. We move from the Eisernes Tor up to the Schlossberg, pausing where memorials and Stolpersteine ask us for quiet respect. We close by reflecting on liberation in 1945 and on the Graz of today, a declared City of Human Rights.

What you'll see

1. 1

   Marian Column at Am Eisernen Tor

   Monument

2. 2

   Franciscan Church (Franziskanerkirche)

   Church

3. 3

   Hauptplatz (Main Square & Rathaus)

   square

4. 4

   Herrengasse & Landhaus

   street

5. 5

   Grazer Burg

   historic_building

6. 6

   Gestapo Headquarters (Paulustorgasse)

   Memorial

7. 7

   Schlossberg Air-Raid Tunnels (Schlossbergstollen)

   historic_site

8. 8

   Uhrturm & Schlossberg Summit

   landmark