Discussion with Uwe Baur (professor emeritus of German literature, University of Graz), Thomas Geiger (artist, Vienna), and Helmut Linhart (mayor of Köflach)
Moderated by Joachim Hainzl

For a large majority of people, the regional poet Hans Kloepfer is still a beloved classic of Austrian literature. For others, he was an avid supporter of Nazi Germany’s annexation of Austria. One of Kloepfer’s admirers was the conservative politician and founder of steirischer herbst, Hanns Koren. Speaking at the unveiling of the monument to Kloepfer in 1958 in Köflach, the city of Kloepfer’s birth, Koren praised Kloepfer highly, reminding the citizens to live up to his ideals. The discussion explores the significance of this controversial figure, asking why exactly there are monuments for Kloepfer in Köflach and Graz, why streets and squares are named in his honor, and why there is even a museum dedicated to his life.