2023-04-11 13:04:50
Vienna. A monument is planned to be erected in Helmut Zilk Park, located behind the Hauptbahnhof – then Südbahnhof – where urgently needed guest workers came in the 1960s and 1970s.
Entrepreneur Savo Ristic announced that the campaign he has been running for years has started to yield results. Stating that he had been making plans for a long time and meeting with the city administration and sponsors, Ristic said that Helmut Zilk Park in Favoriten was decided as the memorial site.
Pointing out that the Hauptbahnhof – known as the train station where urgently needed guest workers came in the 1960s and 1970s – was not just a destination – then Südbahnhof – Ristic told “Wien heute” what Südbahnhof means to immigrants. „If you want to feel your homeland, you come to Südbahnhof to meet your fellow countrymen. You could get a job there, too, and that’s what the front yard was known for. It didn’t matter if you were looking for a house, finding a job, meeting friends or family” explained in his words.
Ristic also wants to build a “training center”
Ristic, who wants to create a permanent commemoration area in Südbahnhof (now Hauptbahnhof), which means a lot to immigrants and sheds light on a past full of memories, also announced that they are planning to build an education center where children can learn about the past and history of guest workers. Ristic, whose parents had immigrated to Vienna from Croatia in the 1960s, “We thought a monument would be important as an anchor that keeps history alive, as the beginning of the narrative” said.
Migration Specialist Judith Kohlenberger stated that such a monument would also be an important sign. “As a country of immigration, but above all as a city of immigration, it is also important that we have a present or a future only if we know the past, learn from the past, and at the same time make it visible and accept it. The guest worker memorial will do just that.” It was noteworthy that he included his statements.
It was learned that commitments were received for financing from various stakeholders such as Volkshilfe, Chamber of Commerce, ÖGB and construction companies Porr and STRABAG, the only thing left is final negotiations with the city administration. Hoping that the final details will be determined by the end of June, Ristic said. “Then the search for artists can begin” said. (yenivatan.at)
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