Objectives
Using didactic resources, modern technology and pedagogically well thought out design features we desired to achieve the following objectives: On the one hand, we wanted to establish a lasting memorial for the many victims of the Shoah in the "Haus der Namen" Holocaust- and Tolerance Centre Austria. On the other hand, we would like to increase the awareness about the atrocities of the Nazis using historical facts and pedagogic methods. It is also very important for the initiators of this exhibition to help overcoming prejudices and to call for tolerance, as well as the promotion of cross-cultural communication.
A particular concern are the collection and research of some of the identities which the Nazis tried to extinguish and the respectful remembering of known fates. This adds to the exhibition by functioning as a memorial, not in Jerusalem or Washington, but here where these things happened.
Historical facts, corroborated by eyewitness statements and their individual fate, shed light on this ideology, which in terms of cruelty and intolerance has no peers. In order to be able to learn from the past, it is necessary to be shown what happened and to empathize with the victims through their own stories.
Due to the fact that this sad chapter of history is part of the teaching content in our country, we want to answer the numerous requests from faculties, and provide a complementary support program for history lessons.
The path through the exhibition shall show, especially to young people - who each and every one of them, in their own way - will shape our future, as to how important it is to be vigilant against discrimination and exclusion of any kind. Democracy and the rule of law, as the basis of a modern society, guarantee an intact and peaceful life in a socially and culturally differentiated world. It is in everyone’s best interest to protect this.