Resistance Fighter · Jurist · Role Model of Conscience

Picture  Walter Krajnc. Private archives Hubert Berger, Kufstein.

🕯 Dr. Walter Krajnc (22 February 1916 – 29 July 1944)

Born in Steinach am Brenner, Walter Krajnc grew up in Hall in Tyrol after the death of his father. Even as a student at the Franciscan High School in Hall, he courageously opposed Nazi propaganda. A dedicated altar server and active member of the Catholic parish youth, he remained faithful to his convictions.
After completing his doctorate in law in 1938, he joined the Hall resistance circle and later the “Tyrol” resistance group. While stationed in France as a Wehrmacht soldier, he established contact with the French Résistance (Côté Résistance) and the Allied radio intelligence network “ULTRA.”
Betrayed by a fellow soldier, he was sentenced to death for high treason in 1944. Despite torture, he betrayed no one. On 29 July 1944, he was executed in Avignon by Nazi military justice.
His courage, his faith, and his fight for freedom make him an enduring symbol of moral strength in Tyrol.
“You can kill a man, but not his idea.”