Aufrufaktion - Akte Erzberg

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Call for Witnesses

‘The Steirische Erzberg‘
An iron ore mine near Eisenerz, Austria

In June 2001 the exhibition Akte Erzberg took place at the Forum Stadtpark in Graz, Austria. After a scientific examination of the forced labour at the Steirische Erzberg under the Hitler regime, this artistic examination was presented, with other presentations to follow in the spring of 2002. These presentations confront historical facts, but more importantly, memory and its sublimation.

This work was created by Doris Jauk-Hinz, an artist from Graz, who is concerned with the ‘resistance leaflet’ as an important information medium in the struggle against the Hitler regime. Her artistic performance brings the leaflet from the underground to the public space, and focuses on the evolution of this medium from the German reformer Martin Luther to today’s advertising. At the same time the leaflet went from underground to being a poster. Following this the FORUM STADTPARK building was wallpapered over and over.

The aim of the artistic work is to recruit witnesses of those times and former miners in Canada through the use of the leaflet medium. Canada is known as an destination for political emigrants including, possibly, former miners and witnesses from the Steirische Erzberg. Although the probability of contacting them or their relatives was not very high, it was worth trying, in order to shine light on a dark segment of European history. Collecting oral histories will not be possible in a few years, and this part of history must not die with its people. This was the strategy of the Hitler regime. History must exist outside of the human brain. This memory has to be stored.

The first part of the call for witnesses and former miners started in the summer of 2001, during Doris Jauk-Hinz’s stay as an artist in residence at United Media Art, in Durham near Toronto. The call was supported by public institutions including the Holocaust Education & Memorial Centre in Toronto. This way information about the Akte Erzberg project was addressed to survivors and schools. The events of September 11 overshadowed the publication of the leaflet. In a dramatic way those events paralleled what systematically happened under the Third Reich. Both transcended moral restrictions in a way which was unthinkable until these moments.

‘The Steirische Erzberg‘
In April 1938, only a few weeks after the ’annexation’ of Austria by the Third Reich, Hermann Göring decided to establish the Hermann Göring-Werke in Linz. The improvements which Austria - now called ”Ostmark” - had to make, where realized: the transportation, heavy industry and energy supply systems were enlarged. Iron played a basic role; the Hermann Göring-Werke, including iron mines, steel and automobile factories, prepared and supplied the future arms industry.

The expansion of iron mining demanded more miners. At first the miners were Jews from Vienna, primarily working on the transport infrastructure. In December 1939 the first 300 of at least 1,500 Polish skilled workers were conscripted. There role turned from paid workers to forced miners and finally they were followed by prisoners – from Eastern-Europe (Ukraine, White Russia, etc.) and a few from France. Even prisoners from the KZ Mauthausen worked at the Erzberg until its own prison camp was established in Eisenerz.

Thank God, their gas chambers couldn’t start their work, because of the end of the war. To erase any memories, all those places were buried. The established system of work at the Erzberg became the base of the economic progress of the post-war era. Until now the roots of this very profitable economic system have not been dug up.

Besides this inhuman economic exploitation, there were other cruelties which remained buried until now. For example, at the end of WWII about 300 Hungarian Jews were murdered by the SA, their bodies buried in a mass grave near the lake of Leopoldstein. Now the lake is a famous place for relaxing weekend holidays. Part of the Steirische Erzberg is even an adventure theme park and tourist attraction today!

Project: Akte Erzberg, Forum Stadtpark, 2001

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