A Time without Justice

On surviving the weeks after the war

Chaos, joy, violence, disorder, sole attempts. From one day to the next, 5 May 1945 was by no means a magical date that made everything good again for the forced laborers of the Hermann Göring Works. In the weeks and months after the end of the war, it only slowly became clear how the city, the production facilities and—above all—the people would continue with their activities and lives.

Since 18 May 2022, the special exhibition in the ZeitgeschichteMUSEUM illuminates this period from different perspectives. In addition to a description of the general situation in Linz and the newly founded "Vereinigte Österreichische Eisen- und Stahlwerke AG," the exhibition particularly focuses on the individual fates of forced laborers, lets them have their say and uses the example of their lives to show how history unfolded.

5 May went down in the history books as Liberation Day and marks the beginning of a new special exhibition. Six different themes are highlighted to impressively illustrate the new situation in Linz for both the former forced laborers, the steel works and the people of Linz.

The special exhibition is set up in the entrance area of the museum and includes exhibits as well as multimedia content. It can be visited free of charge during the opening hours of the ZeitgeschichteMUSEUM.

Image credit: Archive, City of Linz