Goldener Löwe Eisenach, SPD-Gedenkstätte, Social Democratic memorial in Eisenach, Germany

The Goldener Löwe memorial occupies the former Gasthof zum Goldenen Löwen at Marienstraße 57 in Eisenach's southern old town. The two-storey building, documented as an inn from 1533 and rebuilt in 1731, gained a northern annex with stables and a dance hall in 1835. Its façade carries Renaissance-style appliqués added around 1870, when the building was raised and hotel rooms replaced the dance hall. Since 1991 the August-Bebel-Gesellschaft has run exhibitions here on the 1869 SDAP founding congress.

This building hosted the founding congress of the Social Democratic Workers' Party in 1869, led by August Bebel and Wilhelm Liebknecht. That gathering launched a political movement that would reshape German labor politics for decades to come.

The exhibitions document struggles of working people and show how labor movements shaped German society. Visitors see letters, photographs, and personal items that reveal the daily lives of those who fought for workers' rights.

The memorial is normally open on weekdays, and group visits can be arranged in advance. It helps to allow time for reading the exhibition materials, as many details require careful attention to understand the historical context.

The original congress had to be moved to another venue after political rivals disrupted the meeting. This reveals how contested and energetic political debates were at that moment in German history.