Tizzy von Trapp gets the Egon Ranshofen-Wertheimer Award

Gerhard Skiba (1947 – 15 March 2019) of the

Austrian Social Democratic Party The Social Democratic Party of Austria (german: Sozialdemokratische Partei Österreichs , SPÖ), founded and known as the Social Democratic Workers' Party of Austria (german: link=no, Sozialdemokratische Arbeiterpartei Österreichs, SDAPÖ) unti ...

was elected

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well a ...

of the city of

Braunau am Inn Braunau am Inn (; German for "Braunau on the Inn") is a town in Upper Austria on the border with Germany. It is known for being the birthplace of Adolf Hitler. Geography The town is on the lower river Inn below its confluence with the Salzach, w ...

in 1989. He became internationally known after setting up a

memorial stone A headstone, tombstone, or gravestone is a stele or marker, usually stone, that is placed over a grave. It is traditional for burials in the Christian, Jewish, and Muslim religions, among others. In most cases, it has the deceased's name, ...

for the victims of

Fascism Fascism is a far-right, authoritarian, ultra-nationalist political ideology and movement,: "extreme militaristic nationalism, contempt for electoral democracy and political and cultural liberalism, a belief in natural social hierarchy an ...

in front of the house where

Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Nazi Germany, Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his death in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the le ...

was born.

Early life

In 1992, representatives from

Bautzen Bautzen () or Budyšin () is a hill-top town in eastern Saxony, Germany, and the administrative centre of the district of Bautzen. It is located on the Spree river. In 2018 the town's population was 39,087. Until 1868, its German name was ''Budis ...

Mauthausen Mauthausen was a Nazi concentration camp on a hill above the market town A market town is a settlement most common in Europe that obtained by custom or royal charter, in the Middle Ages, a market right, which allowed it to host a regu ...

Wunsiedel (; Northern Bavarian: ''Wåuṉsieḏl'' or ''Wousigl'') is the seat of the Upper Franconian district of in northeast Bavaria, Germany. The town is the birthplace of poet Jean Paul. It also became known for its annual Festival and the Rudolf ...

and other towns with an “unwelcome heritage” followed his invitation for the 1st

Braunau Contemporary History Days The Braunau Contemporary History Days are a series of conferences organised by the ''association for contemporary history''. Scientifically guided by Andreas Maislinger, it has annually taken place in Braunau am Inn since 1992. History During t ...

. ''"Old city": 750 years Braunau am Inn'' was the title of the 19th Contemporary History Days in September 2010. On 11 August 2000, Skiba invited

Gunter Demnig Gunter Demnig (born 27 October 1947 in Berlin) is a German artist. He is best known for his ''Stolperstein'' ("stumbling block") memorials to the victims of Nazi persecution, including Jews, homosexuals, Romani and the disabled. The project plac ...

, an artist from

Cologne Cologne ( ; german: Köln ; ksh, Kölle ) is the largest city of the German western States of Germany, state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) and the List of cities in Germany by population, fourth-most populous city of Germany with 1.1 m ...

to lay four Stolpersteine for victims of the

National Socialism Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right politics, far-right Totalitarianism, totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hit ...

in Braunau am Inn. Gerhard Skiba was awarded the Elfriede Grünberg Prize in 2007 to honor his merits to struggle National Socialism. The award is named after Holocaust-Victim Elfriede Grünberg. In 2006 also

Leopold Engleitner Leopold Engleitner (23 July 1905 – 21 April 2013) was an Austrian conscientious objector, as one of Jehovah's Witnesses, and a concentration camp survivor who spoke publicly and with students about his experiences. He was the subject of the ...

(104), the oldest survivor of the

concentration camp Internment is the imprisonment of people, commonly in large groups, without charges or intent to file charges. The term is especially used for the confinement "of enemy citizens in wartime or of terrorism suspects". Thus, while it can simply ...

Buchenwald Buchenwald (; literally 'beech forest') was a Nazi concentration camp established on hill near Weimar, Germany, in July 1937. It was one of the first and the largest of the concentration camps within Germany's 1937 borders. Many actual or su ...

, Niederhagen and Ravensbrück, received the Elfriede Grünberg Prize. In 2007, he presented the

Trapp Family The Trapp Family (also known as the von Trapp Family) were a singing group formed from the family of former Austrian naval commander Georg von Trapp. The family achieved fame in their original singing career in their native Austria during the i ...

with the

Egon Ranshofen-Wertheimer Egon Ferdinand Ranshofen-Wertheimer (September 4, 1894 – December 27, 1957) was a diplomat, journalist, doctor of laws and state. Early life Egon Ferdinand Ranshofen-Wertheimer was born as the son of the Catholic land owner and member of the U ...

Award, which was founded in order to honor Austrians who stood up for and represented Austria in an extraordinary way abroad. On 23 September 2010, Skiba resigned for health reasons.

References

External links

Society for Contemporary History Braunau/Inn
1947 births 2019 deaths 21st-century Austrian politicians People from Braunau am Inn 20th-century Austrian politicians Mayors of places in Austria {{Austria-mayor-stub