The Monument against War and Fascism

This was once the site of a prestigious apartment house dating from the late 19th century. The building, known as Philipp-Hof, was destroyed in an air raid on 12 March 1945. Hundreds of people who had taken refuge in its cellars perished that day. Their bodies could never be recovered from the rubble, and their exact number remains unknown. In the Austrian Commemorative Year of 1988 the City of Vienna commissioned the Austrian sculptor Alfred Hrdlicka to design and create a Monument against War and Fascism for this site.

The "Gate of Violence" at the front side of the square is made of granite, just as the rocks in the quarry of the Mauthausen concentration camp that were hauled up the steep Stairs of Death by thousands of camp inmates. The sculpted column to the left commemorates the victims of mass murder committed by the National Socialists in prisons and concentration camps like Mauthausen, as well as all people who died in the resistance movement, or who were persecuted and murdered for their national, religious or ethnic background, for their sexual orientation, or because they were physically or mentally challenged. The ensemble of figures in the right column is dedicated to all victims of war.

Along with the political opponents of National Socialism, Jews were the first target of Nazi terror. After 12 May 1938, Jewish citizens of Vienna were forced to scrub the streets that had been smeared with slogans. The bronze rendering of a kneeling, street-washing Jew is a reminder of the degradation and humiliation that preceded merciless persecution.

The male figure merging into a marble block represents "Orpheus Entering Hades". This part of the Monument is to remind us of the air raid victims, and of all those who sacrificed their lives in resistance against National Socialism.

On 27 April 1945, while there was still fighting in the west of Austria, representatives of the newly founded or refounded political parties met in Vienna to proclaim the reestablishment of the Republic of Austria. The "Stone of the Republic" bears excerpts from the Government Declaration reestablishing the Republic, as well as the names of all signatories.

The Monument against War and Fascism was unveiled on 24 November 1988.

Created as a walk-in monument, it is to preserve the memory of the darkest era in our history. It is dedicated to all victims of war and fascism.

# The Monument against War and Fascism