Statue for the Thalgau Book Burnings on December 21, 1938

The sculpture of the artist Peter Wiener was unveiled in Thalgauer Gemeinde- und Schulbibliothek in 2013. It recalls the Thalgauer Buchverbrennung, which took place on December 21, 1938 as part of the "Wintersonnenwendfeier" and organized by local Nazis. Besides numerous books from the Gemeinde- und Schulbibliothek, a church flag was also burned according to eyewitnesses. The Thalgauer Buchverbrennung, initiated by a teacher from the place, was one of many lesser-known book-burning actions carried out after the “Anschluss” on Austrian soil. Such organized events in smaller settings, but with as much detail as possible, also took place in Linz, Villach, Lofer, Steyr and Attnang-Puchheim. The most firmly anchored book-burning event today is that at the Salzburg Residenzplatz on April 30, 1938. Currently, both the sculpture along with a memorial plaque are housed in the Gemeindearchiv; however, according to administrative officials, they should find a place in the local museum and thus become accessible to the public.