While visiting berlin, it will be almost impossible to miss bebelplatz. The memorial to the bookburning on berlins bebelplatz shows an empty, underground library. Bebelplatz berlin all you need to know before you go. Memorial to may 10, 1933 nazi book burning, berlin. A composite image of visitors to the bebelplatz memorial, known as the site of one of the infamous nazi book burning ceremonies, held on. Micha ullman allowed a small group of artists and one journalist to enter the subterranean monument and hear what inspired it. Us holocaust memorial museum, courtesy of the national archives and records administration, college park, md. Monument walk berlin, book burning memorial youtube. The book burnings were initiated and hosted by the nationalist german student association, thus stealing a march on the national socialist german students league. At midnight on 10 may 1933, german students supportive of hitlers ideas of purifying the german. It was at the instigation of propaganda minister joseph. Todays monument to the book burning on bebelplatz was inaugurated in 1995. Book burning memorial at bebelplatz, berlin tripadvisor. Wherever books are burned, human beings are destined to be burned too.
Berlin is full of monuments, memorials and historical sites and it is nearly impossible to know all of them. The burning of books a hundred years before the advent of hitler, the germanjewish poet, heinrich heine, had declared. Do you want to know the entry ticket price for memorial to may 10, 1933 nazi book burning. Luther book burning cultures du monde art public book sculpture berlin germany germany travel berlin travel street art.
It was sobering to see the book burning memorial there. Bebelplatz travel guidebook must visit attractions in. Bebelplatz in berlin germany site of nazi book burning. We were standing in the middle of bebelplatz, a large square in berlin, germany, where the nazi book burning of all books by jewish writers or. Berlin, berlin book burning monument, books, germany, photos. T hese inc luded books written by jewish, pacifist, religious, liberal, anarchist, socialist, communist, and sexologist. The bebelplatz is a public square in the central mitte district of berlin, the capital of germany.
About 20,000 books were burned, amongst others books of thomas mann, erich maria remarque, heinrich heine, karl marx and many other wellknown authors. The guide told them in french that on may 10, 1933, the nazis burned some 20,000 books by jews, communists and pacifists in this square. When you enter bebelplatz, in addition to looking at the sides and to the sky for a closer look at the buildings, you must also look at the floor, as in the center of the square theres a large crystal with a floor under with some empty shelves. Describes the student parade that preceded the bonfire, the chants that accompanied the consignment of some authors works to the fire, and the speech by joseph goebbels in the midst of the occasion. We arrived to bebelplatz ready to see it, butwe had some trouble locating it. Based on the new york times story of may 11, 1933 on the berlin book burning. If this is supposed to be an empty bookcase maybe it is related. Us holocaust memorial museum, courtesy of national archives and records administration, college park, md. The site of the book burning in berlin during wwii. Israeli sculptor gives rare tour of his bookburning memorial in berlin. The nazi book burnin gs were a campaign conducted by th e germ an student union the dst to ceremonia lly burn books in nazi germany and austria in the 1 930s.
Bebelplatz is a city square at humbolt university in berlin germany. This is the memorial to the book burning of may 10, 1933, by brownshirts and the hitler youth. If you book with tripadvisor, you can cancel up to 24 hours before your tour starts for a full refund. Media in category book burning memorial on bebelplatz the following 23 files are in this category, out of 23 total. May 10, 1933 students and storm troopers on the opera square. Bebelplatz is one of the most beautiful squares in berlin. The bebelplatz formerly opernplatz is a public square in berlin, the capital of germany. The bebelplatz is known as the site of one of the infamous nazi book burning ceremonies held in the evening of 10 may 1933 in many german university cities. Credit accessed at us holocaust memorial museum, courtesy of fox. Underground, almost out of sight, no books, empty white shelves, directly under the bebelplatz. It is mostly known as the location of the book burning memorial, commemorating the nazi book burning ceremonies of 1933 in. See all 22 book burning memorial at bebelplatz tours on tripadvisor. Book monument in berlin, all the important german authors.
Hotel in mitte, berlin 0 miles from book burning memorial this 5star hotel on berlins bebelplatz square offers gourmet cuisine and a luxury spa with a 66foot 20meter swimming pool. In the center of this square on the tenth of may, 1933, national socialist students burned the works of hundreds of free authors, publishers, philosophers, and. Its bounded with the terrific humboldt university, the berlin opera and st. The translated surrounding text a quote by heinich heine is. Monument walk berlin, book burning memorial derlandeshauptmann.
An unusual monument in a square in berlin that was the site of the. A member of the sa throws confiscated books into the bonfire during the public burning of ungerman books on the opernplatz in berlin, may 10, 1933. On may 10, 1933 student groups at universities across germany carried out a series of book burnings of works that the. We went as part of alla tours all day tour of berlin from our cruise ships one. Bebelplatz book burning site dark tourism the guide to dark. The subterranean bookshelves could accommodate about 20,000 books and remind at the approximately 20,000 books, which the nazis burnt on may 10th, 1933 on this place. We were standing in the middle of bebelplatz, a large square in berlin, germany, where the nazi book burning of all books by jewish writers or about the jewish faith occurred in 1933, and which now was the location for a memorial for the book burning travesty. The book burnings were initiated and hosted by the nationalist german student association, thus stealing a march on the national socialist. T he books t argeted f or burning were those viewed as being subversive or as representing ideologies opposed to nazism. Among the many books that were torched were ones written by thomas mann, heinrich and karl marx. However, its a place remembered and infamous for a tragic event of nazis book burning which occured here in 1933, when. Controversially, an underground car park was built under bebelplatz in 2004 but the monument was spared, and today you dont get anything of the car park that would distract from the monument. An empty library reminds passersby in berlin of the book burnings of the nazi regime. One day in berlin, this happened tips for visiting the book burning memorial in berlin.
This content is available in the following languages. Book burning memorial berlin, germany monument facebook. During my trip to berlin, germany, with my mother, we knew we wanted to see the bebelplatz book burning memorial. Media in category bebelplatz berlin mitte the following 84 files are in this category, out of 84 total. Bebelplatz, the site of the 1933 nazi book burning incident, has a glasscovered underground empty bookshelf sculpture in the center of the square to commemorate. The book burning memorial, berlin, bebelplatz memory walk, anne frank house im aware that book burning took place on this square. What was lost and burnt were the books by those who the nazis ostracised and persecuted, who had to leave the country and whose stories were no longer allowed to be told. In celebration, a photo of the book burning memorial in berlin. The bookburning on 10 may 1933, members of the nazi german student union and their professors burnt books as part of a nationwide action against the ungerman spirit. Nice square, we had a guide telling us about the history. It is bounded to the east by the state opera building hence its prewar name, to the west by buildings of humboldt university, and to the south by st. On may 10th, 1933, the national socialists nazis held their first book burning at this location. It is also home of the state opera building and the oldest roman catholic church. Germany berlin berlin in berlin the bebelplatz formerly known as the opernplatz is mainly knowm for the burning of book on 10 may 1933 by members of the s.
On may 10, 1933, university students burn upwards of 25,000 ungerman books in berlins opera square. Israeli sculptor gives rare tour of his bookburning. In admonishing reminder of the day of the reichswide book burning by the nazis, this plaque was unveiled here 68 years later on 10. Memorial in memory of the burning of books wikipedia.
Bebelplatz book burning site dark tourism the guide to. Bombing of dresden 45 and bebelplatz in berlin casey harter. Hotel in mitte, berlin 0 miles from book burning memorial this 5star hotel on berlins bebelplatz square offers gourmet cuisine and a luxury spa with a 20metre swimming pool. Grass, arendt, heine, luther, kant, seghers, hegel. There was some musicians playing classical music when we visited in august 2019. Site of first nazi book burning in 1933 ironically, the square is better remembered today as the venue for the nazis first official book burning bonfire on may 10, 1933 just opposite humboldt university, where karl marx had been a student of hegels. It is mostly known as the location of the book burning memorial, commemorating the nazi book burning ceremonies of 1933 in many german cities. The site of the famous nazi book burning campaign of 1933 remembers its night of shame. That was only a prelude, there where they burn books, they burn in the end. The books to be burnt were chosen according to blacklists made by the librarian wolfgang herrmann, which were then used to plunder private bookshelves, public libraries and. Book burning united states holocaust memorial museum.