Memorial Plaque for Josef Scherleitner at the Cemetery of the Parish Church of Saint Rupert

The memorial plaque for the resistance fighter Josef Scherleitner at the cemetery of the parish church of Lend was unveiled in July 2018. Josef Scherleitner, born on 22 March 1911 in Saalfelden, was a carpenter and joined the SPÖ youth organization at the age of 14, and eventually the SPÖ at the age of 21. He became a member of the Communist Party in 1933/1934, for which he later worked actively. Thus, he founded in 1940 the KPÖ local groups Pongau and Pinzgau. His activities included recruiting new members, collecting membership fees, and distributing NS-critical leaflets. The resistance fighter was arrested on 13 February 1942 and sentenced to death. A petition for clemency was rejected; Josef Scherleitner was executed on 30 April 1943 in the prison Munich-Stadelheim. The memorial plaque also serves to commemorate all citizens of Lend who were persecuted and murdered during the NS period.