Kapellplatzviertel in Darmstadt, Hesse, Germany — Central Europe
Nazi Student Book Burning of 1933
Photographed by Andrew Ruppenstein, January 30, 2025
1. Nazi Student Book Burning of 1933 Marker
Wehret den Anfängen. Ovid
Wer uns vorschreibt, was wir lesen dürfen, legt unserem Denken Fesseln an. F. Deppert
(English translation:)
On June 21, 1933, Nazi students burned the books of writers and scientists on this square.
Resist (these things at) at the beginning. Ovid
Those who tell us what we can read are putting chains on our thinking. F. Deppert
Erected 2003.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Notable Events. A significant historical date for this entry is June 21, 1933.
Location. 49° 52.355′ N, 8° 39.664′ E. Marker is in Darmstadt, Hessen (Hesse). It is in Kapellplatzviertel. It is on Landgraf-Georg-Straße. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: Landgraf-Georg-Straße 29, Darmstadt HE 64283, Germany. Touch for directions.
Regionally, it is in Europe, the European Union, Atlantic Europe, Central Europe, the Schengen Area, Western Europe, and the Western World. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Roman Empire and specifically also the Holy Roman Empire.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Stadtmauern Gedenkstätte / City Walls Memorial (about 150 meters away, measured in a direct line); Heinrich Emanuel Merck (about 180 meters
this page online
Related marker. Click here for another marker that is related to this marker.
Also see . . . Bücherverbrennung (Stadtlexicon Darmstadt, in German). Excerpt (in translation):
Book burning: As part of the ideological coordination of all social and cultural areas, the National Socialists began in 1933 to purge cultural institutions such as publishers and libraries of "dirty and trashy literature" all over Germany. The Darmstadt City Library began removing works by Lion Feuchtwanger, Heinrich and Klaus Mann, Anna Seghers, Leo Tolstoy, Kurt Tucholsky and others from its collections as early as March 1933. The first example of this approach was the book burnings organized by the Nazi Student Union in German(Submitted on February 23, 2025.)university towns in May and June 1933. The writings denounced as "un-German" were recorded in a list of over 1,000 book titles. The writers associated with the Nazis on the list included Karl Wolfskehl, Friedrich Gundolf, Elisabeth Langgässer, Georg Glaser and Carl Zuckmayer. On June 21, 1933, the Darmstadt Nazi student body first went to a solstice celebration at the Bismarck Tower and from there in a torchlight procession to Mercksplatz, where, as part of a rally "against the un-German spirit," several thousand books that had previously been confiscated during house collections in the city or during house searches were burned as if on a pyre. Since 2003, a bronze plaque set into Mercksplatz commemorates this sad chapter in Darmstadt's history.Photographed by Andrew Ruppenstein, January 30, 20252. Nazi Student Book Burning of 1933 Marker - wide viewThe marker is visible here set in the pavement between the gateposts in front of the Jugendstilbad Building.
Credits. This page was last revised on January 5, 2026. It was originally submitted on February 23, 2025, by Andrew Ruppenstein of Lamorinda, California. This page has been viewed 237 times since then and 39 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on February 23, 2025, by Andrew Ruppenstein of Lamorinda, California.
