Die starke Linke

Die starke Linke is an eight-ton marble sculpture with intertwined human bodies from which a powerful left arm emerges, representing liberation from oppression. It appears monumental in Engels Garden and conveys through its form the tension between constraint and breaking free.

The city of Wuppertal commissioned this work in 1975 as part of a program to enhance urban landscapes in North Rhine-Westphalia. It was created during a period when many cities were integrating artworks with social and political themes into their centers.

The sculpture stands between the Engels House and Opera House, embodying the link between labor movements and Friedrich Engels' philosophical legacy. It shapes how visitors experience this public space as a symbol of social struggle and its historical thinkers.

This artwork sits in the western part of Barmen district near the Museum of Early Industrialization in Engels Garden. Visitors can access it free of charge and view it from all sides without time restrictions.

Austrian artist Alfred Hrdlicka spent three years carving this piece from Carrara marble in his Vienna studio. From twelve tons of raw stone, this intensive hand-carving produced the final eight-ton artwork.