Bebelplatz book burning site

Bebelplatz book burning site - darkometer rating : 3 - An unusual monument in a square in Berlin that was the site of the propagandistic burning of books by the Nazis in 1933 – an early symbolic act of the reign of terror that was taking hold and would result in the death of millions of people. > More background info > What there is to see > Location > Access and costs > Time required > Combinations with other dark destinations > Combinations with non-dark destinations > Photos More background info: It was one of the earliest crimes of the Nazis shortly after they seized power in 1933: the public burning of some 20,000 books by Jews, communists, liberals, etc. at this site (which was then called Kaiser-Franz-Josef-Platz). The books had been removed from the nearby University library, and many students took part in what followed. "Against the un-German spirit" ('Wider den undeutschen Geist') was the "motto" of the "event" – and it was a well-prepared propagandistic show, accompanied by Nazi music and filmed to be shown nationwide afterwards. It took place at midnight so that the flames looked nice and dramatic in the dark. Propaganda Minister Joseph Goebbels himself acted as a kind of master of ceremonies. You've probably seen snippets of the unsavoury footage at some point. It was a bloodless crime, of course, but still one of the most despicable ones in the long Nazi record of despicableness. And it was an early precursor of the much worse things that were to come. It was symbolic of that. And the site at today's Bebelplatz was the most symbolic of the whole operation – which also took place at numerous other locales.