On the occasion of the 76th anniversary of the liberation from the Nazi-terror, the Mauthausen Committee Austria (MKÖ) is organizing the Festival of Joy for the ninth time on May 8, 2021. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Festival of Joy will, once again, be held virtually in 2021 and will focus on the theme "Destroyed Diversity". The theme is dedicated to the diversity of victim groups persecuted by the Nazis.

This diversity will also be reflected in the programme of the virtual Festival of Joy. The highlight will be the speeches of contemporary witness Katja Sturm-Schnabl and Federal President Alexander van der Bellen. The Virtual Festival will start with a welcoming speech by MKÖ Chairman Willi Mernyi. Katharina Stemberger will once agani guide aus through the agend and host the event.

At Heldenplatz there will be a symbolic commemorative event with quotes and photos of survivors as well as excerpts from the survivors' Mauthausen Oath in different languages. The Festival of Joy will be streamed on the online channels of the Mauthausen Committee Austria.

When: Saturday, May 8, 2021, beginning: 6:20 p.m.
Where: virtually on www.festderfreude.at

Around the date of the Festival of Joy there will be various social media activities focusing on "Destroyed Diversity".

More information will be available soon.

The highlight of the Virtual Festival of Joy 2021 will be the speech of contemporary witness Katja Sturm-Schnabl.

Her family belonged to the ethnic group of Carinthian Slovenes, which is why the Nazi authorities deported them from their farm in April 1942 and the families were torn apart and taken to so-called "Sammelstellen" for Carinthian Slovenes. In 1945 the family was liberated by the Americans and returned to Villach/Carinthia in July 1945. On September 30, 2015, she was awarded the Golden "Verdienstzeichen der Republik Österreich" and in the year 2019, on October 3, the awarding of the "Vinzenz Rizzi Prize 2019" for Katja Sturm-Schnabl took place.

More about the contemporary witness Katja Sturm-Schnabl