Memorial Plaque Matthias Gall

At the Gallhof in Heiligenstädter Straße 4, the City of Vienna unveiled a memorial plaque on February 15, 1949, in honor of Matthias Gall, the namesake of the residential complex. Matthias Gall, a municipal master craftsman and carpenter's apprentice, served as a social democratic district councilor in the Alsergrund district until 1934. With the elimination of democracy by the Austrofascist regime, he lost this position. In 1941, Matthias Gall was arrested by the Gestapo on the charge of distributing communist leaflets. Due to lack of evidence, the Higher Regional Court of Vienna had to acquit him in April 1942. The very next day, he was arrested again. In a new trial before the People's Court, he was once again charged with preparing high treason due to his role as treasurer of the illegal Communist Party of Austria, and was sentenced to twelve years in a penitentiary. He died on August 2, 1944, in the penitentiary of Straubing.