Memorial plaque for the victims of both world wars

Hidden in the courtyard of a youth hostel in Salzburg's Andräviertel, a marble plaque has commemorated since 1950 the over 100 million victims of the two world wars. This memorial site was initiated by the Salzburg War Victims Association, which had its state leadership in the premises of the current youth hostel, which was consecrated on June 9, 1950, along with the colorful marble plaque, by Archbishop Andreas Rohracher. In his speech, he stated that the plaque was dedicated to the "heroes" of the world wars, thereby honoring both soldiers and war criminals. Finally, the Salzburger Nachrichten correctly pointed out that the plaque was not a memorial for the fallen or a hero memorial. To this day, the commemorative plaque is understood as an anti-war warning, distancing itself from war and hero worship and thus opposing the narratives of many war memorials. Around the year 2000, the Salzburg War Victims Association sold the premises to the current hostel, causing this important site for collective memory to fall into oblivion.