Walter-Porges-Straße, Spittal an der Drau

Walter Porges, born as the son of Jewish parents on October 23, 1887, studied medicine and served as a military doctor at the Isonzo front. In 1919, he was among the Carinthian defense fighters who were active in the Bleiburg-Völkermarkt area. He practiced as a doctor in Spittal and worked in the municipal council, where he particularly engaged in welfare for the poor. In 1924, he married and became the father of three children. After the "Anschluss" to Nazi Germany, Walter Porges lost his medical license and had to move to Vienna as a so-called "nursing attendant for Jews." Following his arrest in autumn 1943, he was deported to the extermination camp Auschwitz on June 22, 1944, where he was murdered.

In May 2010, the ÖVP, at Karl Anderwald's suggestion, proposed naming a street in Spittal/Drau after Dr. Walter Porges in the municipal council. On December 29, 2010, the street between the cemetery and Neukauf in eastern Spittal was dedicated to the Jewish doctor and defense fighter.