Hofrat DI Johann Nowak

Johann Nowak (sometimes spelled Novak) was born in Lemberg and later attended the Landesoberrealgymnasium in Krems an der Donau. He joined the Austria Krems secondary school fraternity in 1914 and graduated in 1917, after which he was immediately drafted and took part in the First World War. He returned from captivity as a lieutenant in August 1919 and enrolled at the Vienna University of Technology in 1920, where he studied chemistry and minored in physics and mathematics. In 1924 he graduated in this subject and in the same year began his service as a teacher and educator at the Bundesrealgymnasium Eisenstadt in the Martin barracks. In 1925 he married Luise, in 1927 daughter Gertrude and in 1933 daughter Felicitas were born. In the year of his wedding, he became a member of the Forchtenstein Eisenstadt secondary school fraternity. In 1934, he became headmaster of the Bundesrealgymnasium Eisenstadt and moved into his official residence there with his family.

The staunch opponent of National Socialism became a member of the Vaterländische Front in the 1930s and campaigned vehemently against the so-called "Anschluss". As a member of the front militia, Johann Nowak guarded the Burgenland provincial parliament just a few hours before the German Wehrmacht invaded Austria. He was arrested on March 13, 1938 and, together with his colleagues Adolf Wimmer and Ludwig Ruzsa, who were also members of the student fraternity Forchtenstein Eisenstadt, formed the first "Putzschar" in Eisenstadt. As the "Putzschar", they were forced to remove pro-Austrian slogans from streets and house walls. He remained in prison until May 7, 1938, was immediately dismissed as a teacher and banned from the Gau.

Johann Nowak and his family were evicted from their official residence. They lose all their belongings. For the first few months, they found refuge with acquaintances in Graz until Johann Nowak found a job as a chemist at the Fleischer paper factory in Württemberg, Germany, at the end of 1939. The family spent the war there until the liberation by the Americans in 1945.

After the war, Johann Nowak came to Eisenstadt via Graz in 1945, where he was immediately rehabilitated professionally and was able to resume his duties as head of the convict department at the Bundesrealgymnasium in Eisenstadt in November 1945. In 1946, he brought his family back from Germany and was promoted to regional school inspector for Burgenland. He is the founder and long-standing regional chairman of the Burgenland Sports Union. He remained in this position until he retired in 1964. He died in Eisenstadt in 1979.