Wilhelm Bock (Mayor)

Wilhelm Bock (born December 27, 1895 in Linz , † October 31, 1966 in Vöcklabruck ) was an Austrian priest and Christian social politician . From 1934 to 1938 he was mayor of Linz.

Life

Wilhelm Bock was born the son of a state official in Linz. After graduating from high school in Linz, he studied law at the University of Vienna from 1914 . He was a member of the Catholic student union KaV Norica Vienna . After an interruption due to the war, he received his doctorate in 1920. iur. and then joined the Upper Austrian State Fire Damage Insurance, whose deputy director he became.

Bock was appointed by Franz Nusko to the advisory board of the government commissioner for Linz in March 1934 and was elected mayor of Linz on November 7, 1934 by this body. During his tenure, he endeavored to provide productive unemployment welfare with numerous building measures, such as the construction of the Höhenstraße on the Freinberg and the intensification of social housing, which enabled the number of unemployed to be significantly reduced by 1938. During these years he was also the Federal Deputy Leader and Upper Austrian Leader of the Christian-German Gymnastics Association (today Sports Union ).

After Austria was annexed in March 1938 and the National Socialists came to power, Bock was deposed as mayor on March 12, 1938, then arrested and transferred to the Dachau concentration camp.

After his release from prison, Bock joined the Canons' Monastery of St. Florian in August 1939 and was ordained a priest in 1943. Then he was chaplain in Lasberg in the Mühlviertel . Bock was arrested again by the National Socialists in October 1944 and transferred to the Schörgenhub concentration camp in Linz. In April 1945 he was released on the intercession of Linz Auxiliary Bishop Josef Fließer and resumed his service in Lasberg.

In February 1946 he was appointed to the St. Florian monastery and held various functions there until 1956. From 1956 he was pastor of Hofkirchen im Traunkreis and from 1958 until his death in 1966 city pastor of Vöcklabruck .

Bock was buried in the priest cemetery of St. Florian Monastery. The Dr.-Wilhelm-Bock-Strasse in Vöcklabruck was named after him.

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• http://www.linz.at/geschichte/de/1790.asp
• Gerhard Hartmann: Wilhelm Bock , 2013
• Franz Leitner: Dr. Wilhelm Bock. From the mayor of Linz to the parish priest of Vöcklabruck; First publication of his concentration camp letters from Dachau. Vöcklabruck, F. Leitner 2012, ISBN 3950165487 .
• Harry Slapnicka: Upper Austria. The political ruling class. Part: 1918 to 1938 , Oöla, Linz 1976, ISBN 3-85214-381-0 .

predecessor	Office	successor
Josef Gruber	Mayor of Linz 1934–1938	Sepp Wolkerstorfer