After the Second World War, a decision was made to transform the Calvary complex on the Kreuzbergl in Klagenfurt—jointly associated with the church since 1742—into a provincial memorial dedicated to the victims of both World Wars; it was inaugurated in 1959. The architect was Rudolf Nitsch, and the academic painter Karl Bauer was appointed as the artist, taking on the task of symbolically and admonishingly linking the Stations of the Cross with the horrors of war. The initiative originated with a committee of individuals around the priest Dr. Rudolf Büml, the merchant Urban Schmid, and wAR Josef Jaritz. Each station, in addition to its traditional Christian meaning, also bears a dedication to the victims of the wars and was sponsored by a corresponding group. At the foot of the complex, the stations begin with the four Evangelists. Two Mount of Olives stations were inserted before the actual stations, and the Way of the Cross concludes in the memorial chapel with a depiction of the Resurrection.
The Stations of the Cross depict, in the fourteen traditional stations, Christ’s path of suffering from condemnation to burial and invite a contemplative engagement with suffering, guilt, violence, and human responsibility. For each station, the statement of the station, the dedication in remembrance of the victims of both World Wars, and the attribution to the donors are provided.
On the exterior of the four lowest stations, the four Evangelists are depicted in their symbolic forms: the bull, the eagle, the lion, and the human figure. This association derives from the visions in the Book of Ezekiel (Ezek 1) and the Revelation of John (Rev 4) and has been firmly embedded in theology and art since Late Antiquity.
Two motifs that do not belong to the traditional Stations of the Cross were designated as Mount of Olives I and Mount of Olives II. They extend the usual fourteen chapels to a total of sixteen shrines, which are architecturally required to form a Latin cross as the overall layout of the complex.
The memorial chapel is a space designed by architect Rudolf Nitsch, featuring at its center an altar mosaic by Karl Bauer depicting the risen Christ. The founders’ plaques are mounted on both side walls.
The founders’ plaques are two marble tablets mounted on the left and right side walls of the memorial chapel. On the one hand, they list the “donors of the station chapels”; on the other, they contain the names of those involved in the execution of the work and the relevant chronological data.
The Verein der Freunde der Landesgedächtnisstätte am Kreuzbergl in Klagenfurt aims to make the provincial memorial site more visible and comprehensible in the future as a place of historical, artistic, and commemorative significance. The objective is to present the conceptual, architectural, and usage history of the Kreuzbergl in a scientifically grounded, contemporary, and multilingual form, thereby enabling a deeper understanding of the site’s significance. Through clearly structured information, digital and low-barrier interpretive tools, and improved orientation, the provincial memorial site is intended to be experienced as an open place of remembrance, education, and learning. In this way, the association seeks to convey the cultural-historical importance of the Kreuzbergl in a sustainable manner and to responsibly develop its potential for knowledge transfer, education, and a sensitive form of cultural and memorial tourism.