Am Hof 2, 1010 Vienna

Honoring the first Nobel Peace Prize laureate with a plaque on the War Ministry.

The corner house on Am Hof and Bognergasse was originally the first War Ministry, the ‘Hofkriegsratsgebaeude’. Today it serves as a Five Star hotel. On an adorning plaque from that time of the original use of the building it calls to mind Henri Dunant (1828-1910). Dunant’s epochal deed, the establishment of the International Red Cross had to do with a bloody episode in Austrian history: the lost war against France and the Kingdom Piemont-Sardinia in the year 1859 and the therewith following loss of the Province Lombardy.
The largest battle was that of Solferino on June 24th 1859 in the vicinity of Lake Garda. Dunant, a Swiss business man, found himself in Upper Italy for business reasons and visited the battlefield the day after the gruesome massacre.
Deeply shaken, he realised that the medical care, in as much as it was even existent, was catastrophic. Most of the soldiers died first days after the battle because their wounds were not treated. In this situation, the devout humanist Dunant organised voluntary aides from within the area and bought bandaging material and food. He and his aides paid no attention to the nationalities of the wounded, the motto was soon ‘Tutti Fratelli’ in Italian – ‘All brothers’ in English. In 1863, out of this spontaneous help action came into being the Red Cross. For his untiring engagement for peace, Dunant received in 1901 the first awarded Nobel Peace Prize, together with Frederic Passy, the French economist and peace activist. (Incidentally, there is also a Dunantgasse in the 21st district).

“Bertha von Suttner commented critical, when Dunant was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, that he had not accomplished anything for peace, only had lessened the consequences of the atrocities of wars.”

Judenplatz, 1010 Vienna

Peace emphasizes the culture of the mind.

“Tolerance and equality of all three monotheistic religions is this statue about: Jewry, Christianity and Islam.”

Here we want to remember an early annunciator of tolerance and liberal emancipation. Gotthold Ephraim Lessing (1729–1781) furthered the Enlightenment with his poetic works and formulated an appeal for inter-confessional tolerance in his Ring Parable in ‘Nathan der Weise’ (‘Nathan the Wise’ 1779) which until today has remaining validity.

The actual conflicts pro and contra Islam proof that even in mostly atheistic societies religions can get exploited for fanatic and violent claims of truth. But there cannot be ‘the true’ religion since all religions have their origin in God. Peaceful tolerant coexistence is needed. Lessing’s memorial stands on the Judenplatz in the 1st district since 1981. The memorial was created in 1935 by Siegfried Charoux, four years later however, it was removed by the National Socialists and later melted down so as to then be newly created in 1968 by the same artist. Initially it stood on Morzinplatz and was then brought back to its ‘old’ installation site on Judenplatz.

Wipplingerstrasse 8, 1010 Vienna

Let history be a teacher, and let us not forget!

In the ‘Altes Rathaus’ (Old Town Hall) we find the DÖW, (Documentation Archive of the Austrian Resistance during the time of National socialism). This institution was established in 1963 by former men and women resistance fighters as well as by dedicated scientists. The DÖW is a foundation which is supported together by the Republic of Austria, the City of Vienna and the Association of Documentation Archives. The Association and Foundation undertakes to provide information and does resistance research, collects, does archiving and presents the work results.
Through counselling- and care work activities, the DÖW has contributed to the historical understanding that the original ‘Victim Theory’ officially attributed by Austria (Austria was the first victim of the aggressive policy of Hitler) finally is no longer applicable. The terrible effects of sympathizers following the demands of power get compared to the courageous acts by resistance fighters and those persecuted. Clarification about the dangers of indifference and the lack of civil courage is a central theme of the work of the DÖW. Respective learning materials for schools and for adult education are being developed.

Also in the ‘Altes Rathaus’ (Old Town Hall), on October 30th 1891, the foundation assembly of the ‘Austrian Society for Friends of Peace’ took place. In this Peace Society established by Bertha von Suttner, Alfred Nobel was also a member and generously supported the organisation financially.

Alfred H. Fried wrote in his diary: The newspapers did not consider it worthwhile to report about this event, for them it was laughable.

Fleischmarkt 18, 1010 Vienna

Laws and contracts for free exercise of religions and against censorship confirm civil rights.

“Perishable is this house, but never Joseph’s posthumous reputation. He gave us tolerance, it gave immortality.”

On Fleischmarkt number 18 a banner reminds one of the Tolerance Edicts published between 1781 and 1785 of emperor Joseph II (1741-1790), who strived for enlightenment and whose tolerance legislation, as well as other measures to strengthen the social and political peace in the sense of emancipation, had an effect over and beyond his empire.

The separation of state and church, the elimination of torture and the death penalty, as well as the free practicing of religions other than the Christian catholic and the lessening of up to then strong censorship were his early liberal drafts. Later Joseph’s nephew, Emperor Franz, contrary to his uncle, was anxious to again suppress the striving forces of liberal views. His policy of devastating wars was the attempt to reinstate the order of the old world again that was threatened by the French Revolution and by Napoleon Bonaparte with his political ideas.

Zedlitzgasse 7, 1010 Vienna

Do you know the Bertha von Suttner street?
– Most likely not, since …

… a Bertha-von-Suttner Street exists only as a short stretch of road on the periphery of Vienna at the outskirts of Kagran, unfortunately a rather run down street, containing a sports field and advertisement boards. It is incomprehensible that, up to now, the city of Vienna only finds this stretch of road suitable for the topographic memorial culture for this great woman. It is a scandal, one cannot call it anything else! In the 1st district, in the house Zedlitzgasse 7 Bertha von Suttner lived since 1902 until her death in 1914. She lived here when she received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1905. No plaque exists on the front of the house to remind one of her. (Inside the house there is at least a memorial plaque).

The comparison with the cared-for site and the grandiose memorial in honour of Mayor Karl Lueger just round the corner raise many questions. Suttner and Lueger lived at the same time in the same city.

Why is one appreciated so very much and the other not appreciated at all?

Bertha von Suttner, 9 June 1843 -21 June 1914; pacifist, author, was in her time worldwide the most famous female person engaged in peace matters; she urged her friend and benefactor Alfred Nobel to decree the Nobel Peace Prize in his testament; 1905 she was the first woman to receive this prestigious prize; 1891 she established together with her husband, Arthur von Suttner, the ‘Association for Resistance to Anti-Semitism’.

It was a courageous act to rise against the statements of Christian churches and many personalities in leading positions abounded with malicious anti-Jewish attacks. For her engagement against the socially acceptable aggressive anti-Semitism Bertha von Suttner was often reviled as ‘Jew Bertha’ in the media. Until her death, she warned in numerous lectures and texts of the aftermath of the eager-for-war arming that then lead to the horrendous First World War in Europe.

“Bertha von Suttner and Dr. Karl Lueger, they both lived in Vienna at the same time. What a different history would have developed if her beliefs and initiatives would have prevailed… “