Liberation Monument (Graz)
The (eagle) liberation monument or freedom monument is a sculpture in the center of the Styrian capital Graz . The monument created in 1960 by Wolfgang Skala is dedicated to the end of the occupation in Austria and not, as previously assumed, to the liberation from National Socialism . This fact has been critically discussed recently.
Location
The Liberation Monument is located in the northeast corner of the Burggarten not far from the orangery and can also be reached barrier-free on park paths. The several meters high sculpture towers over the moat , which is filled with water in the summer months, on the castle bastion built in the 16th century . It is particularly well visible from the city park a few meters below and, with the mighty horse chestnut in the background, forms a popular photo motif.
meaning
The sculpture by the sculptor Wolfgang Skala (1904–1990) shows a highly abstract eagle that frees itself from a narrow, high cage and spreads its wings. This figurative representation symbolizes the departure into a free future. The work was cast iron in 1960 and bears the date 10/26/1955 on the front .
For a long time, the importance of the monument was not known to the public. Assumptions that the victims of the Austrian struggle for freedom and liberation from National Socialism should be commemorated with the “eagle” were finally refuted in 2008. At the suggestion of a historically interested pensioner , the Styrian Provincial Archives made inquiries and came across a resolution of the provincial government of September 14, 1955. It speaks of the organization of a great liberation ceremony and the erection of a freedom monument. A big "Liberation Day" was celebrated on October 25, 1955 with a ceremony in the Graz Opera and a parade in the presence of numerous top politicians and church representatives. The memorial erected years later thus stands for the withdrawal of the last occupation troops .
Governor Franz Voves unveiled an explanation board with the following text for the first time at the end of October 2008:
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Freedom Monument |
Criticism and art installation 2019
As part of steirischer herbst 2019, the monument received renewed attention. Already in the run-up to the art festival, the unclear naming was pointed out: While the memorial plaque describes the sculpture as a “Freedom Monument”, most historical sources call it “Liberation Monument”. In this context, the choice of the date associated with the liberation is criticized. Instead of April 27, 1945, the day on which Austria declared its independence and formed a provisional government , the eagle emblazoned October 26, 1955, the date when Austrian neutrality came into force . According to the organizers, the monument - like many others - is "in an embarrassing need to explain what Austria's historical self-image is".
The Viennese artist Eduard Freud man (* 1979) created on this basis, an intervention that the folklore to the withdrawal of Allied troops, the pride of the country's neutrality and the victim myth counteracted. The monument temporarily became an obelisk , a shape that typically evokes associations with a victory. The pink color was supposed to take away the military austerity of the obelisk. The inscription ÖDUOPFER in white letters made use of the insult common among young people and alluded to the victim myth cultivated in post-war Austria. Derived from this, the installation was called Monument to a myth, or Monumyth for short . In stark contrast to this, a writing drifted on a nearby pond, which was to be understood as a “fragile counter-monument” for the liberation of Austria from National Socialism.
Web links
- Monument to a myth on the Universalmuseum Joanneum website
Individual evidence
- ↑ Wolfgang Skala - Eagle Liberation Monument. OFFSITE_GRAZ, accessed September 20, 2019 .
- ↑ Parkpflegewerk 2012 for the City Park Graz. Published by Stadt Graz 2012, p. 55. Online PDF , accessed on September 20, 2019.
- ↑ a b Markus Gruber: The end of the occupation. In: Steiermark Report , Edition 11-08, p. 11. Online PDF , accessed on September 20, 2019.
- ↑ Markus Gruber: Landesarchiv clarifies the dedication of the Freedom Monument in the Burggarten. The monument is intended to commemorate the final withdrawal of the occupation troops. State of Styria, November 2008, accessed on September 20, 2019 .
- ↑ Opposing positions. Universalmuseum Joanneum , September 2019, accessed on September 20, 2019 .
- ↑ steirischer herbst '19 Grand Hotel Abyss - opposing positions. Press info. Universalmuseum Joanneum , Graz 2019, p. 3. Online PDF , accessed on September 20, 2019.
Coordinates: 47 ° 4 ′ 23.8 " N , 15 ° 26 ′ 41" E