Memorial Plaque for NS Victims at the Abbey of St. Paul in Lavanttal

On the façade of the monastery building of the Benedictine monastery St. Paul, a roughly 50 centimeter large swastika is still visible today. Upon entering the grounds, it can be found on the left side of the front, northern façade of the imposing building. In 1938, the gymnasium was nationalized by the National Socialists, in 1940 the monks were expelled, the monastery was dissolved, and the school was converted into a National Socialist political school (NAPOLA). After the liberation from the NS regime, the monks returned, and the swastika on the outer wall remained. After prolonged discussion about the handling of this NS emblem, it was contextualized in May 2023 on initiative of the Mauthausen Committee Carinthia/Koroška: a glass, transparent memorial plaque was placed over it, which remembers the victims of National Socialism.