Karl Svoboda
Member of the
Municipal Council and Landtag of Vienna
In office
25 June 1979 – 29 November 1996
ConstituencyFavoriten
Personal details
Born(1929-11-23)23 November 1929
Vienna, Austria
Died1 November 2022(2022-11-01) (aged 92)
Political partySocial Democratic Party of Austria

Karl Svoboda (23 November 1929 – 1 November 2022) was an Austrian politician who served in the Municipal Council and Landtag of Vienna from 1979 until 1996 as a member of the Social Democratic Party of Austria.

Biography

Karl Svoboda was born on 23 November 1929 in Vienna, Austria.[1] Svoboda was trained as a civil engineer.[2] In 1973, he joined the Social Democratic Party of Austria (SPÖ), becoming active in his home district of Favoriten, where he served on its district council from 1978 to 1979.[2][3] In the 1979 Austrian legislative election, Svoboda was elected to the Municipal Council and Landtag of Vienna, representing Favoriten.[1] During his tenure, Svoboda primarily focused on issues of transportation, urban planning, and social policy.[3][4] In 1995, he was the Viennese representative to the Council of European Municipalities and Regions.[5] Svoboda left the Municipal Council/Landtag on 29 November 1996. Svoboda also served as chairman of the SPÖ in the Municipal Council/Landtag from 22 June 1988 until he left office in 1996.[1]

After leaving office, Svoboda remained socially involved. He was active in the Volkshilfe [de] branch in Vienna, and helped found the Fortuna Park Palace at Altmannsdorf Castle [de] in the Meidling district.[3] In 1998, he was also a member of an advisory committee for the Czech ethnic group to the National Council of Austria.[6] The following year, he was awarded the Grand Decoration of Honor in Gold for Services to the State of Vienna [de] for his services to the state.[1]

Svoboda died on 1 November 2022, at age 92.[2][3] Following his death, Michael Ludwig, the mayor of Vienna, stated that Svoboda was "a connecting force [who] steered the fortunes of the SPÖ municipal club for many years", while the Workers' Samaritan Federation of Austria [de] stated that he was a "fighter for humanity and social justice, solidarity and cohesion".[4][7]

References

  1. ^ a b c d "Karl Svoboda". Government of Vienna (in German). Retrieved 6 November 2022.
  2. ^ a b c "SPÖ-Rathausklub: In tiefer Trauer um Karl Svoboda" [SPÖ Town Hall Club: In deep mourning for Karl Svoboda]. OTS.at (in German). 2 November 2022. Retrieved 6 November 2022.
  3. ^ a b c d Pufler, Karl (2 November 2022). "Ehemaliger Gemeinderat Karl Svoboda ist verstorben" [Former municipal councilor Karl Svoboda has passed away]. MeinBezirk.at (in Austrian German). Retrieved 6 November 2022.
  4. ^ a b Zimmermann, Wolfgang (1 November 2022). "Samariterbund trauert um Karl Svoboda Sen". ASB Favoriten (in German). Retrieved 6 November 2022.
  5. ^ Wien in der EU (PDF) (in Austrian German). Vienna: Office of the Vienna State Government. 1995. p. 22. Retrieved 6 November 2022.
  6. ^ "Parlamentarische Materialien" [Parliamentary Materials]. Parliament of Austria (in Austrian German). 17 July 1998. Retrieved 6 November 2022.
  7. ^ "SPÖ Wien trauert um Gemeinderat a.D. Karl Svoboda" [SPÖ Vienna mourns the loss of aD municipal councilor Karl Svoboda]. OTS.at (in German). 2 November 2022. Retrieved 6 November 2022.
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