 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Romany settlement on the outskirts of Oberwart, 1920s, Volkshochschule der Burgenländischen Roma
Even before 1938, Romnija and Roma (‘gypsies’) had been the targets of ethical and social marginalization and racism, but in the Nazi period this escalated to the Porajmos: genocide. They were deliberately deprived of their rights, robbed, persecuted, deported and murdered. All of this was only possible through an interaction between the various authorities and the population. Only a few Oberwart Roma and Romnija could return to their homes in 1945, because most had not survived the Porajmos.
This plaque is a station on the Oberwart Path of Commemoration and Education and symbolizes that a part of Oberwart's population is missing. Each plaque stands for men and women who once belonged to Oberwart's community and were expelled from it during the Nazi period.