VIGIL/MAHNWACHE

© 2024/25

VIGIL/MAHNWACHE

The balcony of the Vienna Hofburg, the so-called “Hitler Balcony”, is an inconspicuous yet historically highly charged place – contaminated by Hitler’s speech on March 15, 1938. On this day, Hitler spoke from there to the cheering crowds on Heldenplatz, who were celebrating the “Anschluss” of Austria to the German Reich. On the balcony, the MAHNWACHE now calls for the missed commemoration.

The VIGIL/MAHNWACHE, a massive, untreated granite block from the Mauthausen concentration camp quarry, occupies the historically charged site. This public act of remembrance confronts us directly with our history and the effects of fascism. The VIGIL/MAHNWACHE – a silent demonstration – stands for the millions murdered and survivors of fascism. The unworked stone, bearing the suffering of the victims of the Holocaust, stands silently on the balcony and looks out over Heldenplatz, the epicenter of Austrian history.

The monuments and political buildings on Heldenplatz are re-contextualized by the VIGIL/MAHNWACHE. The granite block creates a historical reference to the human rights inscribed in the Parliament and silently MENTIONS a reference to them.

photo montage+photos: Franz Wassermann