Tourism in Hall in Tyrol During the Nazi Era (1938–1945): A Dark Chapter

Your browser does not support viewing this document. Click here to download the document.

article: visit Hall in Tyrol! 16. Juli 1938. In: Anno online archive of newspaper, https://anno.onb.ac.at/ (11.6.2025)

Tourism in Hall in Tyrol During Nazi Rule: Propaganda, Forced Labor and the Myth of "Volksgemeinschaft"

During the Nazi era (1938-1945), tourism in Hall in Tyrol became a tool of propaganda, forced labor, and the ideological construct of a "national community" (Volksgemeinschaft). Projects like the Hall outdoor swimming pool demonstrate how infrastructure served as a showcase of Nazi power - while systematically obscuring the dark reality behind their construction.

1938: A Swimming Pool for Hall – Built on Coercion and Propaganda

"The people of Hall build their own pool" (Source: "Neueste Zeitung", August 17, 1939)
When Mayor Heinz Bauer ordered the construction of Hall’s outdoor swimming pool in 1938, the Nazis staged it as a model "community achievement." But this supposedly grassroots project was built on a system of exploitation:

• Forced labor, not volunteerism: Every woman in Hall was required to contribute at least eight hours of "honorary work"
  
• Military-style organization: Men aged 20+ were conscripted, while those unable to work had to pay fees
  
• Propaganda machinery: Nazi newspapers praised the "work ethic," even as prisoners of war were later deployed
  

Behind the facade of "national community" (Volksgemeinschaft) lay the brutal reality of Nazi dictatorship—a case study in the methods of Nazi rule at the local level.

November 1940: Prisoners of War as Cheap Labor for the Hall Public Pool

The minutes of the town council meeting on November 15, 1940, reveal the brutal reality behind the construction project:
"Work had to be temporarily halted because the Wehrmacht withdrew its soldiers. Now we are using our own men and prisoners—on November 14, the city received 50 prisoners, ten of whom are working on the public pool."
—Mayor Heinz Bauer
What this dry note conceals:
·       The "cheap way" of making progress relied on forced labor.
·       The "prisoners" were either prisoners of war or inmates from the Reichenau labor camp in Innsbruck.
·       Even local projects were exploited by the Nazi leadership for their war economy.
Why this matters:
This document proves how even municipal administrations were complicit in the Nazi system of forced labor—right in the town of Hall.

June 1941: Nazi Propaganda at the Opening of the Hall Public Pool

On June 17, 1941, the Nazi regime celebrated the opening of the Hall public pool as an alleged "triumph of the national community" (Volksgemeinschaft). The coverage in the Innsbrucker Nachrichten reveals typical propaganda tactics:

Cynical Nazi Rhetoric

Mayor Heinz Bauer, who was also the local Nazi Party leader, invoked Nazi ideology:
"Only through the realization of the National Socialist principle ‘common good before self-interest’ could this project be achieved."
District Administrator Hirnigel escalated the historical distortion:
"Hall was financially ruined in the ‘old Austria’—only the Reich restored order. The 47,800 ‘voluntary’ work shifts and 2,803 donations prove the sacrificial spirit of our citizens!"

The Truth Behind the Phrases

• "Voluntary labor": In reality, this referred to forced labor (e.g., mandatory "honorary hours").
• "Donations": Many "voluntary" contributions were made under political pressure.
• "Public welfare": The pool primarily served Nazi propaganda—while the regime deported Hall’s Jewish citizens and political opponents.

Why This Source Matters

The document demonstrates how the Nazi Party:

1. Reframed coercion as a "community effort"
2. Exploited critiques of the First Republic’s shortcomings
3. Used local projects to legitimize its takeover

Note:
We quote the original phrasing (in quotation marks) to expose Nazi propaganda techniques—but not without critical context.

"Against Resistance Within Their Own Ranks: The Ambiguous Origins of the Hall Public Pool (1939)"

In his chronicle "The Period of Nazi Rule in Hall, March 13, 1938 – May 3, 1945," city historian Prof. Dr. Franz Egger reports on May 4, 1939:
"When Mayor Bauer stated in his inaugural speech that he would 'know how to deal with resistance,' he was not referring to the intimidated opponents outside the party, but rather those within it. The resistance was primarily directed against the construction of the swimming pool, which Bauer wanted to build as a 'community project' funded by donations from the people of Hall. After four months, only 9,000 Reichsmarks had been collected—a disappointment for Bauer, given that the estimated costs were 250,000 RM. To secure the necessary funds, the sale of municipally owned properties in Hall and Absam (which had been forcibly annexed on October 7, 1938) was considered. The construction company Vianova was commissioned to build the access road to the pool. The land for the pool was donated by Mrs. Marianne Recheis."
(Source: municipal archive of Hall in Tirol)

Prof. Dr. Franz Egger’s chronicle reveals a little-known aspect of the pool’s history: Even within the Nazi Party, there was resistance to Mayor Bauer’s plans.

The Explosive Details:

• Internal Party Conflicts: Bauer’s threat to "deal with resistance" was aimed primarily at critics within his own ranks.
• Financial Disaster: After four months, only 9,000 RM out of the required 250,000 RM had been raised—a damning indictment of the much-touted "willingness to donate."

• Coercive Measures:
  • Sale of municipal properties (including those from forcibly annexed Absam)
  • Contract awarded to the construction firm Vianova (later implicated in the Nazi war economy)
  • Land donation by a local business family

Why This Behind-the-Scenes Look Matters:

1. Destroys the Nazi myth of a "united national community" (Volksgemeinschaft).
2. Shows how local Nazi officials pursued their own power interests.
3. Exposes the regime’s economic helplessness despite repression.

Historical Context:
"Bauer’s struggles disprove Nazi propaganda about the efficiency of the 'Führer principle.' Even terror regimes had to contend with bureaucracy and internal power struggles."

Hubert Berger: Dunkle Historie einer beliebten Freizeitanlage. In: Kronen Zeitung, Donnerstag 12. Juni 2025, S. 51.