Memorial Plaque for Balthasar Linsinger

Next to the birthplace of the parish priest Balthasar Linsinger in St. Veit im Pongau, there is today a memorial site dedicated to him. During the Second World War, Linsinger – then parish priest of Großarl – helped the five-member Jewish family Bäumer to pose as a Viennese family fleeing from the bombing attacks. Although he himself was already under observation by the Gestapo, he provided them with shelter in the parish courtyard from 1943. For this, Balthasar Linsinger was honored by the Holocaust memorial Yad Vashem as a "Righteous Among the Nations" in 2010. During a ceremony of the Austrian parliament, it was decided to establish memorial sites in the places of his activity and birth, Großarl and St. Veit. Until then, the courageous actions of Balthasar Linsinger within his own family were unknown. Only through the initiative of Angelica Bäumer was an elm tree planted in May 2011 at the Lacken farmer's house, the birthplace of parish priest Linsinger, and a memorial plaque unveiled. The community of St. Veit honored Linsinger with a memorial weekend.