The Second Republic of Austria was established after the Second World War. As a former part of the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy and subsequently Nazi Germany, its history is strongly shaped by two world wars and the deaths of millions of people. The handling of human remains and graves of victims of National Socialist terror, members of the armed forces of nations participating in the world wars as well as civilian casualties that are located on today's federal territory, has been regulated by law since 1948. The responsibility officially lies with the Federal Ministry of the Interior / Department for War Graves Services. In practice, various institutions and interest groups have been involved in the identification and maintenance of so-called "war graves" and the recovery of human remains. This article aims to provide a brief outline of the current legal situation in Austria and discusses varying practices of handling war graves by presenting historical and recent examples.
Keywords: Austria; Contemporary archaeology; Exhumation; Graves; Nazi terror; World wars.
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