Imagine a man who dedicated his life to service. That man is Georg Prader. We stand before the Dr. Georg Prader-Büste. This statue commemorates his contributions to Austria.
Georg Prader was born in St. Pölten in 1917. He died in Vienna in 1985. Prader was an Austrian politician. He belonged to the ÖVP. This is the Austrian People’s Party.
After primary school Prader studied law. He went to the University of Vienna. He earned his doctorate in 1946. From 1954 to 1959 Prader was a member of the Federal Council. In 1959 he moved to the National Council. He held a mandate there until 1979.
From 1964 to 1970 Prader was Minister of Defence. He served in the Klaus I and Klaus II cabinets. During this time he initiated the purchase of Saab interceptor aircraft. Prader was also chairman of the Lower Austrian ÖVP from 1967 to 1975. In 1968 he was chairman of the ÖAAB Lower Austria. His grave is in St. Pölten.
Prader joined Udonia Seitenstetten in 1933. He held several positions there. From 1937 he was a member of the Catholic student association KaV Norica Wien.
Prader’s political career began in 1949. He became involved in employee representation. He also joined the public service union. In Lower Austria he made the ÖAAB. It became the strongest force in the Christian trade union faction. Prader’s leadership turned Lower Austrian civil servants into a dominant force.
As Minister of Defence Prader shifted away from traditions of the German Wehrmacht. He emphasized Austrian tradition. He named barracks after resistance fighters. One example is the Biedermann-Huth-Raschke barracks in Vienna.
During Prader’s time the army was deployed. In the summer of 1967 units controlled the border with Italy. This was because of terrorist attacks in South Tyrol. In 1968 troops of the Warsaw Pact occupied Czechoslovakia. Prader proposed stationing units 30 km from the border. This was to avoid escalating the situation.
After leaving the ministry Prader remained politically active. In 1971 he was to play a central role. This was in the succession of Alfred Maleta as ÖAAB Federal Party Chairman. He declined the post after a media campaign against him.
Before us stands the Dr. Georg Prader-Büste. It serves as a reminder of a man dedicated to his country. A man who navigated complex political landscapes. He shaped Austria’s defense policies during a critical period. The Dr. Georg Prader-Büste honors a life of service.