Im Schatten von Hitlers Alpenfestung

The Salzkammergut - one of the most beautiful mountain and cultural regions in the world - was a focal point of many contradictions during the Nazi era, which the new travel guide makes accessible. Brutal Aryanizations, art theft, subcamps of concentration camps, mothers' and refugee homes existed here alongside particularly fierce resistance against Hitler and the Nazi regime. In 1945, the region was one of the last battlefields of the Third Reich. In Hitler's notorious Alpine fortress, stolen artworks were stored, protected from bombing raids, and were to be destroyed on the regime's orders in the final days before liberation. In the post-war period, the economic miracle and mass tourism overshadowed the many wounds of the region. However, the beauties of the Salzkammergut today cannot be viewed without considering these often very uncomfortable pasts. Bad Ischl, along with the surrounding Salzkammergut, is the European Capital of Culture 2024, and especially when an international audience looks at the city and its surroundings, the historical entanglements and Nazi crimes must not be overlooked, as their effects are still felt today.