National holiday

LH Kaiser: “Freedom must be defended”

The official national celebration on October 10 will be held in the Landhaushof.

(Bild: Evelyn Hronek)

October 10 marks the day on which the German and Slovenian-speaking inhabitants of the southern Carinthian regions voted on their nationality in 1920. The united Carinthia is also commemorated 104 years later.

The monarchy collapses after the First World War, the new SHS state makes territorial claims in Carinthia, there are unresolved border issues - they lead to bloody battles from November 1918. From the historical perspective of the time, a democratic referendum was held - on October 10, 1920, the majority of the inhabitants of the affected areas voted for Austria. This is celebrated in Carinthia every year on October 10.

"On October 10, we not only remember a historic day, but also that people stood up for the community and the future of Carinthia out of the deepest conviction," says Governor Peter Kaiser (SPÖ) in his first speech at the central cemetery in the Annabichl district of Klagenfurt.

As has been customary for years, the official state ceremony in the Landhaus courtyard will be held in both national languages. The ceremony is also translated into sign language. A youth choir consisting of singers from the BRG Viktring, the Seeboden music school and the HLW St. Peter im Rosental opened the celebrations with a song.

Freedom can never be taken for granted, freedom must be defended every day - always and everywhere.

Landeshauptmann Peter Kaiser

Bild: Uta Rojsek-Wiedergut

Kaiser praises the "commitment to identity, freedom and self-determination" of previous generations. He says of the defensive struggle: "It was a bloody battle, but they fought on in the belief in freedom."

"The fight was hard, the battle was bitter, but it was not in vain - in the end, a decision was made that was historic at the time: the holding of a referendum. Despite losses in the defensive struggle, the majority decided to remain part of Austria - a decision for a life in freedom and a democratic state."

The ceremony in the Landhaushof is held in two languages.

(Bild: Evelyn Hronek)

The Austrian Armed Forces and military music will also be present.

(Bild: Evelyn Hronek)

Wreaths of flowers in memory of the referendum

(Bild: Evelyn Hronek)

The Landhaus is decorated with the flags of Carinthia and Austria.

(Bild: Evelyn Hronek)

Military music accompanies the ceremony.

(Bild: Steiner Clara Milena)

"Carinthia as the torch of freedom"
Today, Carinthia stands as a "symbol of resistance, as a torch of freedom", says Kaiser, who emphasizes: "Long live democracy, long live Carinthia, long live our homeland Austria, in a Europe that will hopefully soon be reunited and peaceful!"

"Only those who know the past can judge the present," Austrian journalist legend Hugo Portisch is quoted as saying. Provincial Parliament President Reinhart Rohr: "Only the referendum has brought clarity that Carinthia will remain free and undivided - we are celebrating this today. We should also be grateful to those who have started to build bridges."

Mayor Christian Scheider quoted Heimatdienst chairman Andreas Mölzer in his speech: "We want to meet the challenges of the future."

Regina Tolmaier, a Carinthian Slovenian who was resettled as a small child and had to endure three years in a concentration camp, remembers the past 10 October celebrations with mixed feelings: "I will never forget it: No psychologist could guide us the way our parents did. When I went to school, October 10 was a painful day for me - fraught with guilt and the question of why are we different from the others?"

Contemporary witness: "We know what homesickness is"
"My father said: We know what homesickness is," says Tolmaier: "He said: We were in the camp for three years and ended up in an abandoned house. The earth is our home. To je naša domovina, to je naš dom (meaning: This is our home, this is our home). No matter how we speak, no matter who we are - we are at home here."

The path of hatred must not be continued, emphasizes Tolmaier: "We must appreciate that we are better off now. We must not forget to stick to our roots and still be happy for others."

"Forgive, yes, but never forget"
Wernig, a contemporary witness and Carinthian Slovenian, also calls for such a terrible time as the Second World War never to happen again: "I hope that we approach each other and show each other more tolerance. Forgive, yes, but never forget." Wernig's father was interned in Dachau concentration camp: "We were glad when we were all back home again. But it was very, very difficult to start again - because we were still not welcome back home."

S "Living together, the normality of several languages", Kaiser is optimistic about the future: "Peace is what we are striving for together. But we are also realists and can read the signs of the times. Let's be together, let's be strong."