Book burning memorial at Bebelplatz, Holocaust memorial in Bebelplatz, Germany
Description
This memorial on Bebelplatz marks the book burning through a window set into the pavement that looks down into an underground room. The white chamber below displays empty shelves along all walls and reaches about 5 meters deep.
History
On May 10, 1933, students and professors burned more than 20000 books by Jewish, communist, and liberal authors here. Artist Micha Ullman created the underground installation in 1995 as a permanent reminder.
Culture
Visitors can look through the glass plate into an empty underground library that holds space for exactly the number of books destroyed that night. Bronze plaques nearby carry Heine's words from 1820, written more than a century before the event they foretold.
Practical
The memorial is accessible at any time and sits between the State Opera, St. Hedwig Cathedral, and the Humboldt University law building. During rain or snow, the glass plate may fog or become covered, making it harder to see inside.
Did you know?
Writer Erich Kästner stood unrecognized in the crowd and watched as his own book Fabian burned in the flames. The rain was so heavy that firefighters had to pour petrol to keep the fire going.
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