On 5 May 1945, Allied forces marched in and liberated Hallein from the Nazi regime. Just a few days earlier, American bombers had targeted the town to prevent any possible escape from Obersalzberg. The war was over, but uncertainty remained. When the French armoured division crossed the Dürrnberg, the population was urged by the communist Karl Nedomlel, who shortly afterwards became mayor, to remain calm, clear the streets, and hang white cloths from the windows. Any form of provocation was to be avoided.

The special exhibition spans the period from Austria’s incorporation into the ‘German Reich’, through the ‘Eugen-Grill-Werke’ armaments factory, up to the first municipal council election after 1945. The exhibition also focuses on the connection between Felix Gruber, the grandson of the composer of ‘Silent Night’, and the NSDAP. He was the first registrar in Hallein. The authority was established as part of the Gleichschaltung (coordination), compulsory civil marriage was introduced, and the keeping of registers was transferred to the civil registry offices.