FREEDOM PARK WELCOMES THE PRESIDENT OF AUSTRIA

Freedom Park was honoured to welcome the President of the Republic of Austria, Dr Alexander Van der Bellen, during his State Visit to South Africa.

Accompanied by the Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture, Mr Gayton McKenzie, the President participated in a solemn wreath-laying ceremony at Freedom Park’s Sanctuary, where they paid tribute to six Austrian nationals — Konrad Ginther, Eldridge Grundböck, Helms Ornauer, Elfriede Pekny, Waltraud Schütz, and Ulrich Trinks — who stood in unwavering solidarity with the South African people during the apartheid era.

Their names are etched on the Wall of Names, joining thousands who made sacrifices for liberation. Freedom Park, as a national heritage site, is a space of remembrance, healing, and unity — where international solidarity is honoured alongside the legacy of South Africa’s freedom fighters.

Their courageous stance reminds us that the pursuit of justice knows no borders, and that the struggle for human dignity is a shared, global mission.