Based on the new york times story of may 11, 1933 on the berlin book burning. Information portal to european sites of remembrance. The books to be burnt were chosen according to blacklists made by the librarian wolfgang herrmann, which were then used to plunder private bookshelves, public libraries and academic collections. We were standing in the middle of bebelplatz, a large square in berlin, germany, where the nazi book burning of all books by jewish writers or about the jewish faith occurred in 1933, and which now was the location for a memorial for the book burning travesty. Book burning online exhibit at the united states holocaust memorial museum web site words on fire, a site about u. These book burnings marked the beginning of a period of. Book burnings in germany, 1933 american experience. It is also home of the state opera building and the oldest roman catholic church. Book burning united states holocaust memorial museum.
On may 10, 1933, university students in 34 university towns across germany burned over 25,000 books. The bebelplatz is known as the site of one of the infamous nazi book burning ceremonies held in the evening of 10 may 1933 in many german university cities. Major book burnings, may 1933 us holocaust memorial museum in a symbolic act of ominous significance, on may 10, 1933, university students burned upwards of 25,000 volumes of ungerman books, presaging an era of state censorship and control of culture. On may 10, 1933, german students under the nazi regime burned tens of thousands of books nationwide. A composite image of visitors to the bebelplatz memorial, known as the site of one of the infamous nazi book burning ceremonies, held on may 10, 1933. Berlin, 2006, book burning memorial by night, stiftung denkmal many poets and authors living in the german reich felt compelled to leave the country following the. The bookburning on 10 may 1933, members of the nazi german student union and their professors burnt books as part of a nationwide action against the ungerman spirit. The works of jewish authors like albert einstein and sigmund freud went up in flames alongside. Book burnings in opernplatz, berlin one of the first targets of adolf hitler and his nazi organization were books. He ordered leaders of the regime to confiscate and destroy any literature deemed subversive to the national socialist agenda.
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