Vienna 1945 - From Swastika to Red Star
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| This tour explores Vienna at a moment of dramatic transition — the end of war and the struggle for a new beginning. After 53 Allied air raids, the Red Army captured Vienna in a fierce ten-day battle in April 1945, leaving nearly 50,000 civilians and soldiers dead, 100,000 homes uninhabitable, and St. Stephen’s Cathedral severely damaged by fire. For several months, the city remained under exclusive Soviet control before being divided among the four Allied powers. The population was traumatised; Vienna lay in ruins, gripped by confusion, hunger, and despair. Yet amid the devastation, a remarkable sense of unity and determination emerged — the will to rebuild, restore order, and rediscover humanity after years of terror. Reconstruction and political stability became the new priorities. But pressing questions loomed large: How could the city cope with hundreds of thousands of refugees, the liberated survivors of concentration camps, returning prisoners of war, orphans, the wounded, and the lingering presence of both victims and perpetrators of the Nazi regime? This evocative walk leads from Schwedenplatz to Heldenplatz, using historic photographs and archival materials to bring to life the atmosphere of Vienna in those turbulent, uncertain months — when the city stood poised between past catastrophe and the fragile hope of renewal. |
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| Meeting Point | 1., Rotenturmstrasse 29, in front of McDonald's |
| Dates | There are no dates for this tour but it can be booked individually for a group |
| Attention | |
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Telefon: +43 1 774 89 01 |   |
| Fax: +43 1 774 89 33 | |
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