Denkmal der Namen

The Denkmal der Namen stands in Villach’s Widmanngasse, a quiet side street in the town centre. It remembers the women, men and children from Villach and its district who were murdered by the Nazis between 1938 and 1945. Opposite the town museum, the stone memorial was unveiled in spring 1999 after years of research by the local group Erinnern. The initiative began in 1990 and became a registered association in 1996, led by retired teacher Hans Haider and supported by Gottfried Berger, Werner Koroschitz, Andrea Launisch and Alexandra Schmidt. The city provides rooms and meeting space for the association’s work. The memorial keeps growing. After the first version was repeatedly vandalised—at least seventeen times—it was rebuilt and enlarged. In 2008 the restored monument was rededicated with 252 names inscribed on its panels. Each October a reading ceremony is held at the site, often featuring texts written by or about one of the victims. The association also organises guided walks through Villach to the buildings and squares where Nazi violence took place, especially for school classes. Every year on the anniversary of the November 1938 pogroms, a public commemoration is held at the memorial. Visitors find a simple stone structure in a small paved space. The names of the murdered appear on bronze plaques that catch the light of the street lamps. A low bench allows people to sit and read the inscriptions. The surrounding Widmanngasse is lined with ordinary town houses, cafés and shops, so the memorial offers a quiet place to pause in everyday surroundings. The city museum across the way provides further background on local history.