Memorial Stone for the Victims of National Socialist Eugenics in Dr. Franz Palla Alley in Klagenfurt/Celovec

The Dr. Franz Palla Street, previously called Glangasse, was named in 1947 after the then-chairman of the surgical department at the "Gaukrankenhaus Klagenfurt", Primarius Dr. Franz Palla. Likewise, his colleague from the gynaecological department, Primarius Dr. Viktor Hieß, was responsible for carrying out the National Socialist eugenics programme between 1940 and 1945 as an advocate of the German hereditary and race theory. Countless people became victims of forced sterilizations and forced abortions after they had previously been classified as “erbrkank” or “racially inferior”.
After long discussions about renaming the street or installing an additional plaque with information on Dr. Franz Palla’s role during National Socialism, the city of Klagenfurt decided in 2022 to erect a memorial stone at the end of the street, directly opposite the clinic. It draws attention to the questionable street name and sends a message of apology from the city.