Fleeing from darkness into hope. That’s the story etched into this Coudenhove-Callergi-Gedenktafel Plaque. This plaque commemorates Richard Nikolaus Graf Coudenhove-Kalergi. He was a writer and politician. He founded the Paneuropa movement. This movement promoted European unity.
The Coudenhove-Callergi-Gedenktafel Plaque is in Vienna’s Heiligen Kreuzerhof. It marks a significant part of his life. The inscription tells a dramatic tale.
Richard Coudenhove-Kalergi was born in Tokyo in 1894. He died in Schruns, Austria, in 1972. He was of Japanese-Austrian descent.
He lived in this house, in the Heiligenkreuzer Hof. He was the founder of the Paneuropa Union. He was a spiritual father of European unification. From here, he fled. It was the night of March 11 to 12, 1938. He escaped the occupation troops of Nazi Germany. The Paneuropa movement in Austria honors him. This was on the 40th anniversary of his death on July 27, 2012.
Thomas Kosma created another plaque in 2014. This one stands at Theresianum. It honors Coudenhove-Kalergi as a former student. It is located on Favoritenstraße 15 in Vienna-Wieden.
The Coudenhove-Callergi-Gedenktafel Plaque at Heiligen Kreuzerhof serves as a reminder. It highlights his dedication to a unified Europe. It also reminds us of his escape from Nazi persecution.
The plaque also honors the Paneuropa movement. It recognized Coudenhove-Kalergi’s contribution to European integration. The Heiligen Kreuzerhof was his home. It was from here that he had to escape the Nazi forces.
Standing before this Coudenhove-Callergi-Gedenktafel Plaque, you can almost feel the tension. It was the night of his escape. The fear and uncertainty he must have felt.
Richard Coudenhove-Kalergi’s legacy lives on. It lives on through the Paneuropa movement. It lives on through the ideal of a united Europe. His ideas are as relevant today as they were then. The Coudenhove-Callergi-Gedenktafel Plaque stands as a testament. It reflects his vision and his courage.