Location: Radlpass
Josef Krainer senior, the later Landeshauptmann of Styria, was involved in Austrian resistance activities during World War II. In February 1945, he was targeted for arrest by the Nazis. However, he managed to escape and took refuge at a farm in Kornriegl, where he was reportedly involved in the political work of the O5 resistance group, a network that helped resistance fighters and prisoners.
Josef Krainer senior, born in 1903 in Sankt Lorenzen bei Scheifling as an illegitimate child, had a notable early life shaped by both political and personal challenges. He began working as a farmhand and soon got involved in politics, founding a local branch of the Christian agricultural workers’ group in 1921, well before he turned 18. By 1924, Krainer was leading the Christian Agricultural Workers’ Association for the region and moved to Graz. Over the years, his political career flourished, with key roles such as a member of the Styrian Parliament in 1934, vice president of the Styrian Farmers’ Association, and president of the Chamber of Workers and Employees.
His affiliation with the Dollfuß-Schuschnigg regime led to his arrest in March 1938 following the Anschluss, but he was released after three weeks. Later, in 1939, Krainer bought a brickworks in Gasselsdorf with his wife and mother-in-law. During World War II, in February 1945, Krainer faced arrest again by the Gestapo, but he was tipped off and went into hiding, first at the “Stindlweber” farm and later at “Glirsch” in Kornriegl. He secretly helped on the farms to avoid detection.
Krainer was politically involved with the O5 resistance group in the region, though evidence of active resistance against the Nazi regime is limited. His group provided shelter and support to deserters and protected farmers from marauding soldiers, though Krainer notably rejected collaboration with partisan groups, likely due to their communist leanings.
After the war, Krainer returned to politics and became the mayor of Gasselsdorf, joining the Austrian People’s Party (ÖVP). He went on to serve as the Governor of Styria from 1948 until his death in 1971. His legacy is commemorated at the Josef Krainer Bründl at Radlpass, which is dedicated to his memory
Literature: Stefan Karner, Maßgebende Persönlichkeiten 1938 in Graz, in: Historisches Jahrbuch der Stadt Graz 18–19 (1988), 381–436, hier 406. Christian Fleck, Koralmpartisanen. Über abweichende Karrieren politisch motivierter Widerstandskämpfer (= Materialien zur Historischen Sozialwissenschaft; 4). Wien/Köln 1986, 126–126. Herbert Blatnik, Zeitzeugen erinnern sich an die Jahre 1938–1945 in der Südweststeiermark. 2Eibiswald 2000, 246–247. Helmut Gebhardt, Die Gendarmerie in der Steiermark von 1850 bis heute. Graz 1997, 337. Dokumentationsarchiv des Österreichischen Widerstandes DÖW (eg.), Widerstand und Verfolgung in der Steiermark. ArbeiterInnenbewegung und PartisanInnen 1938–1945. Graz 2019, 39, 471 und 576–579. politicum 113: Landeshauptmann Josef Krainer sen. 1948–1971–2011.
Text: Markus Rieger-Roschitz / Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Research on War Consequences
