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Bebelplatz In 1933 Bebelplatz was called Opernplatz („Opera-Place“) and it was here, where the Nazi book burning happened on May 10.Joe Goebbels, the Nazi Secretary of State for Propaganda had decided that it was neccesary to purify the German language and literature. He was heavily supported by German students. So books authored by Jews had not only to be banned, but burnt. As well as books by communists or books representing pacifistic ideas. Of course Karl Marx and Sigmund Freud had to be eliminated, the other main suspects being the authors Berthold Brecht, Erich Kästner, Heinrich Mann, Kurt Tucholsky and Ernest Hemingway. Even Albert Einstein’s books – although rather unpolitical and not dealing with society at all – had to go. About 25.000 „un-German“ books went up in flames, one of them being Heinrich Heine‘s 1823 tragedy „Almansur“, where you can read: „Where they burn books, in the end they burn people“. Joey had a precise plan of action but in the end the stake couldn’t be inflamed because of heavy rain. He surely couldn’t disappoint a 70.000 audience, so the fire brigade was called to help out with gasoline. Today on Bebelplatz there’s a memorial. It’s a walk-on glass plate. If you look through it you can see an underground library offering space for 20.000 books. But all the shelves are empty. More: Wikipedia Goebbels' original address as broadcasted by German radio in 1933: click here How to get there:
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