Austrian Press Agency (APA), OTS (08/31.2007)

Vienna – “It is of utmost significance that Vienna’s pupils are so deeply involved with contemporary history because one thing is clear: Only by confronting our own history can one establish a basis which will prevent the terrible events of the past from again being repeated. It is in this spirit that I could like to express to the awardees my deepest gratitude and respect for their committed involvement with historical issues,” declared the head of Vienna’s city school board, Susanne Brandsteidl on Friday within the framework of bestowing the “Fred Schneider Family Award.” The goal of this award - as designated by Fred Schneider, who fled to the U.S. during the Nazi dictatorship - lends expression to the close ties to his “old hometown of Vienna,” and awards once a year distinguished pupils who have shown particularly high quality and critical commitment in their final high school graduation thesis on topics of contemporary history.
At this year’s award ceremony, attended personally by the “award’s sponsor, Viktoria Fürnsinn, a pupil from a high school located in the Zirkusgasse won first place with her paper, “The White Rose.” Michael Matzinger, a student from a high school in the Rainergasse, won second place with his paper entitled, “Religiously-Motivated Resistance during the Time of National Socialism in Austria.”

For more information, see: http://www.wien.at/vtx/vtx-rk-xlink/