"Hall Remains Loyal. Banned But Not Dead!"

Photo Town Hall of Hall in Tyrol. Held in: Private archive Walder.

The following chapter examines a field of tension within the population of Hall, whose roots stretch back to the 1930s. Even during this time, there were repeated violent clashes between the police, the Home Guard, and supporters of the local illegal NSDAP group.
The presentation begins with an analysis of how the policies of Federal Chancellor Dollfuß affected the municipality of Hall. Subsequently, the consequences of the ban on the SDAPÖ, KPÖ, and NSDAP in 1934 for the citizens of Hall are described.
These events of the 1930s, on the one hand, provide possible explanations for the arrests of Hall citizens in March 1938. Simultaneously, they likely formed an important motivation for acts of resistance by locals during the Nazi rule.
On the other hand, the focus turns to possible personnel continuities in the municipal administration and the police. These raise further questions: What positions did the actors of the time—whether opportunists or convinced Nazis—hold before 1938 and after 1945? Were they active in political offices again after the end of the war, or did they withdraw? To what extent did the actions of the Hall population in the 1930s, which were directed against Nazi supporters, ultimately shape the further course of events between 1938 and 1945?

"Hall Remains Loyal." – Internal Tensions and Economic Hardship in the 1930s

In the 1930s, coexistence in the small town of Hall was significantly strained by the political and economic consequences of the government policies of Engelbert Dollfuß. The political landscape was clearly defined after the 1928 municipal council elections: The Tiroler Volkspartei held a majority with 16 mandates, followed by the Social Democrats with 8, and the combined list of the Greater Germans and the Economic Party with 3 mandates. The Reform Association held one mandate.
Leading the municipality for the Volkspartei were Mayor Anton Schlögl (main tobacco publisher) and First Vice-Mayor Dr. Paul Kathrein (lawyer). Among the 14 VP municipal councillors were individuals who would later become central figures in the Hall resistance against the Nazi regime between 1938 and 1945: Josef Egg (primary school director), Ludwig Walder (master shoemaker), Josef Dosch (senior post office official), and Dr. Viktor Schumacher (physician).
On the side of the eight Social Democrats, Second Vice-Mayor Johann Schittelkopf stood out, who also played a crucial role in the fight against National Socialism. This stood in sharp contrast to his party colleague Josef Waldert, who was accused of having supported the illegal NSDAP in Hall – whether knowingly or unknowingly. A contemporary letter to Mayor Ing. Bauer sheds light on these accusations:
"I believe that you are very misinformed about the person of Mr. Ignaz Letfühs [...] This accusation [of communism] is untrue and completely fabricated. [...] Only the then Social Democratic municipal councillor Waldert Josef occasionally worked for him on a temporary basis, who, however, assisted him in every way with the National Socialist propaganda carried out in his business at the time and, whether willingly or unwillingly, supported the promotion of the National Socialist idea."
This controversy highlights the ambivalent relationship of the Hall population towards the NSDAP, which fluctuated between determined rejection and quiet or active approval.

Social Challenges and Economic Depression

The city leadership was confronted with a desolate economic situation that plunged large parts of the population into poverty. To alleviate the hardship, the municipal council decided in February 1933 to issue vouchers for those in need. Furthermore, in the winters of 1933/34, Winter Relief collections were organized under the leadership of Dr. Viktor Schumacher. His report paints a vivid picture of the situation:
*Winter Relief 1933/34 – Account Settlement*
"Period conducted from 1 Dec 33 to 15 Mar 34; Winter Relief had to be granted to 446 households or 1,125 persons. This represents an increase of 186 households or 465 persons compared to the previous year. [...] The municipal emergency kitchen provided in 31 months no less than 18,947 meals (lunches and dinners), an average of 170 portions daily."
This aid was made possible through donations in kind from Hall merchants and even firms from Innsbruck. Given a population of around 7,000, providing support for 1,125 people – one-sixth of the population – was a clear alarm signal. The municipality also attempted to combat high unemployment through productive work relief, such as road construction projects, a problem that, however, remained unsolved until 1938.

Tourism as a Failed Lifeline

Hoping for an economic upturn, the municipal council heavily focused on tourism. In 1930, the new spa treatment center was inaugurated, and the Stadthotel, designed by the renowned architect Lois Welzenbacher, was realized as another prestige project. There were hopes of establishing both summer and winter tourism. However, the global economic crisis and the 1,000-Mark ban imposed for Germans from the Reich kept guests away, despite an upward trend nationwide. Hall's tourist offerings failed to provide enough attraction.

Political Influences and Ideological Struggles

The measures of the Dollfuß government also had an immediate impact on municipal life in Hall. The traditionally close relationship between the church and the community was particularly affected. In 1933, Dollfuß instructed pastors to withdraw from active politics. Yet, in the same year, Curate Lambichler was able to establish a 'Reichsbund' youth home on the Pletzerwiese – a project that demonstrated the continuing connection and offered young people space and scholastic tutoring.
Nevertheless, internal church resistance against the increasingly authoritarian course of Dollfuß and his successor Schuschnigg was stirring, even in Hall. Catholic workers' associations and parts of the clergy criticized, in particular, the state's youth education based on fascist "Balilla methods" – a model for the later Hitler Youth.
To curb the escalating violence between political factions, the Dollfuß government issued a ban on uniforms for political formations on May 4, 1933. The announcement from the Innsbruck district administration left no doubt about its target:
"The issued ban applies to individuals as well as formations. [...] It affects those uniforms which express a political orientation."
It explicitly stated: "If the National Socialists were to adopt another uniform attire – for instance, identical white shirts, black trousers, and black ties, uniform in fabric and execution – this attire is also to be treated and condemned as a uniform."
Despite these bans and the omnipresent social hardship that defined municipal politics, the political situation remained divided and explosive until the "Anschluss" in 1938. The lines of conflict established here – between resistance, adaptation, and sympathy for National Socialism – would shape the city's history in the following years.

Ban, Terror, and Mourning: Hall in the Shadow of the Authoritarian State (1934)

The political upheavals of 1934 resonated deeply in Hall's local politics. In March, the municipal council was forced to reconstitute itself after the Social Democratic Workers' Party of Austria (SDAPÖ) was banned. Mayor Dr. Kathrein did not comment on this drastic step for democracy, instead informing the council in a matter-of-fact manner:
"The Mayor further announces that, pursuant to the decree of the Federal Government of February 12, 1934, Federal Law Gazette No. 76, the municipal council mandates of the Social Democratic Party have expired. The municipal council thus consists of twenty members following the departure of the eight Social Democrats and is therefore quorate."
In his opening speech, he placed the event within a larger, regime-loyal context: "The downfall of Austria was prevented by the strong hand of the government under Dollfuß, who was supported by the federal executive, the federal army, the gendarmerie, and the voluntary protection corps."

Terror in the Halltal: The Sabotage of the Water Pipeline

Even in these years, a clear field of tension had emerged in Hall between supporters of the banned NSDAP and their opponents. The latter were primarily organized in the Heimwehr (Home Guard), a paramilitary organization that increasingly took on police functions and often justified its actions by citing provocations from National Socialists.
The situation escalated on June 27/28, 1934, with a consequential terrorist attack: unknown persons blew up the water pipeline of the power plant in the Halltal. The destruction of the power supply caused massive damage and struck the city during its economic recovery. Mayor Dr. Kathrein responded with a public appeal published in the local newspaper:

APPEAL:

"C R I M I N A L S have B L O W N U P the P I P E L I N E of the H a l l t a l P O W E R P L A N T. This has not only caused very significant damage but has also once again brought unrest to the otherwise so peaceful population of Hall. [...]
Such misdeeds can only be judged with abhorrence and contempt. Therefore, not only is he a traitor to the people and the fatherland who instigates or carries out such crimes, but also anyone who approves of them [...]
Hall, July 2, 1934 – The Mayor: Dr. Kathrein"
In the following council meeting in August, he quantified the total damage at approximately 50,000 Schillings. As the perpetrators were not caught, he announced his intention "to hold the intellectual authors and masterminds liable for damages."

Mourning for Dollfuß: "Taking Up the Flag"

The assassination of Federal Chancellor Engelbert Dollfuß during the National Socialist July Putsch in Vienna was mourned in Hall at a specially convened memorial session of the municipal council. The speech delivered there, held in the name of the "entire population" of Hall, testifies to the ideological alignment of the now synchronized body:
"[...] the city council of Hall, the Fatherland Front in the city, the entire population wish to have their say, to join the chorus of mourning of the hundreds of thousands in Austria who weep for the late Chancellor! [...] But his work was not only about defense. He combined it with the idea of construction and reorganization. [...] laid the foundation stone of a Christian state for the f i r s ttime in centuries, based on the deeply conceived constitution. [...]
Dollfuß did not fall so that we would roll up the flag in discouragement! No, we must take up the flag that had to slip from his dying hand, and now carry it forward all the more determinedly, fearlessly, and courageously. [...] Hail Austria! God be with it."
The years 1934 to 1938 in Hall were thus marked by a threefold confrontation: the internal political restructuring into the Austrofascist 'Ständestaat', the increasingly violent National Socialism, and the community's search for stability in a time of profound uncertainty.