Renée Wiener: The fight against the shadows of history in Feuerbach

Renée Wiener: The fight against the shadows of history in Feuerbach

In Stuttgart's Feuerbach district, the station forecourt, known as Wiener Platz since the days of Adolf Hitler, is being given a new appreciation. Starting this week, a name change will take place: six well-known people who have the surname Wiener will be honored. In this context, contemporary witness Renée Wiener, who experienced the painful “annexation” of Austria to National Socialist Germany, is particularly remembered.

Renée Wiener, née Kurz, was only 13 years old on March 13, 1938, the day of the invasion. In an interview from 2008, she reported that the people of Vienna cheered while she had to hide in fear. These serious experiences from her childhood are now driving the city of Stuttgart to rename the square, which was previously called Postplatz, to “Renée-Wiener-Platz” while at the same time preserving the original name. This happened during a lecture by Albert Lichtblau, head of the history department at the University of Salzburg, who spoke about Renée Wiener on Monday, June 2nd.

The historical context

Austria's annexation to Nazi Germany was accepted by the Austrian government under Kurt Schuschnigg on March 11, 1938, after she resigned under international pressure. Schuschnigg stated in a radio speech that no resistance should be offered to the invading German troops, and the Austrian army actually did nothing to prevent the invasion. On March 12, German troops crossed the border without resistance and on the evening of March 13, 1938, Adolf Hitler was welcomed in Vienna by cheering crowds.

In the days following the invasion, Vienna became the site of several Nazi events. Hitler proclaimed that Austria was part of the Third Reich and gave a moving speech on March 15 from the balcony of the Hofburg. Vienna at the time meant heartache and loss for many people, as the city that was once a cultural center was transformed into a parade of Nazi propaganda. An army of German soldiers and SS formations marched through the streets and Hitler laid flowers at the Austrian war memorial, a symbolic remembrance that only reinforced the horror of the time.

A new beginning

Wiener Platz, which lies between Feuerbacher Bahnhof and the emerging “Quartier am Wiener Platz”, is now not only being renamed, but also becoming a symbol of remembrance and warning. The light rail stop, which runs diagonally across the square and was designed by architect Günter Behnisch, brings together the different historical narratives.

The memory of Renée Wiener, who was never able to return to a carefree life, is preserved through this name change. Stuttgart shows that coming to terms with one's own history and the cruel chapters of the past is necessary and indispensable.