1941–1945: Partisans – Unveiling Military Resistance in Carinthia/Koroška Exhibition

This exhibition explores the military resistance of partisan groups in Carinthia/Koroška between 1941 and 1945, highlighting their role as the sole armed resistance within the German Reich during that period. It details their fight against Nazi occupation, the repression faced by the local population, and the peak of armed conflict in the region.

The exhibition "1941–1945: Partisans - Military Resistance in Carinthia/Koroška" focuses on the armed struggle against Nazi occupation in the bilingual region of Carinthia/Koroška. Following the German invasion of Yugoslavia in April 1941, Slovenian anti-fascists formed the Liberation Front (OF), which was joined by Carinthian Slovenes who had deserted the Wehrmacht. The exhibition chronicles the escalation of resistance, particularly after the NS regime's intensified repression and deportations in April 1942, which galvanized local support for the partisan cause. It details significant events such as the first clashes in August 1942, the Gestapo's arrests around Eisenkappel/Železna Kapla and Sele in the winter of 1942/1943, and the death sentences passed by the Volksgerichtshof in Klagenfurt, which were carried out in Vienna. The exhibition highlights that the armed resistance in Carinthia reached its zenith in the summer of 1944, with over 900 men and women fighting in OF partisan units, supported by British arms. Historian Marjan Linasi documented approximately 800 engagements between partisans and NS forces in the region, underscoring the intensity of the conflict. The exhibition also marks the tragic event of April 25, 1945, when SS members perpetrated a massacre at the Peršmanhof near Eisenkappel against a family supporting the partisans, a site that now houses a museum.