Memorial Plaque in Gortipohl "Spirit and Kindness"

The theologian, peace activist, priest, and educator Emil Fuchs, who was active in Germany, was soon monitored, incarcerated, and lost his job after the Nazi seizure of power. In 1943, he left his homeland and arrived in the Montafon community of Gortipohl, where he settled with his grandson Klaus until the end of the war. They were accommodated in what used to be an Alpine Youth Hostel, which housed "bomb refugees" and "transients" from the beginning of the conflict – many of them fleeing Nazi persecution. Emil and Klaus maintained contact with the resistance movement in St. Gallenkirch, called for opposition, and actively provided assistance to those fleeing. Since 2022, Gaschurn commemorates Emil Fuchs and his resistance against the Nazis with a memorial plaque erected as part of the "15 Places – 15 Stories" project.