Regierungsvierte in Berlin in Mitte, Germany — Northeast German Plain (The European Plain)
Bücherverbrennung vom 10. Mai 1933
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The Book Burning of May 10, 1933
Photographed by Andrew Ruppenstein, August 27, 2025
1. Bücherverbrennung vom 10. Mai 1933 / The Book Burning of May 10, 1933 Marker
Erected 1983.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Arts, Letters, Music • Notable Events. A significant historical date for this entry is May 10, 1933.
Location. 52° 30.989′ N, 13° 23.6′ E. Marker is in Berlin, in Mitte. It is in Regierungsvierte. It is on Bebelplatz, on the right when traveling south. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: Bebelplatz 2, Berlin 10117, 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: Denkmal zur Erinnerung an die Bücherverbrennung / Book Burning Memorial (within shouting distance of this marker); König Willem I der Niederlande / King William I of the Netherlands
this page online
Related markers. Click here for a list of markers that are related to this marker.
Also see . . . Book Burnings in Germany, 1933 (PBS). Excerpt:
On May 10, 1933, university students in 34 university towns across Germany burned over 25,000 books. The works of Jewish authors like Albert Einstein and Sigmund Freud went up in flames alongside blacklisted American authors such as Ernest Hemingway and Helen Keller, while students gave the Nazi salute. In Berlin 40,000 people gathered to hear German Minister of Public Enlightenment and Propaganda Joseph Goebbels give a speech in Berlin's Opera Square. He declared "the era of extreme(Submitted on December 20, 2025.)Jewish intellectualism is now at an end. ... The future German man will not just be a man of books, but a man of character. It is to this end that we want to educate you. ... And thus you do well in this midnight hour to commit to the flames the evil spirit of the past." Radio stations broadcast the Berlin speeches, songs, and ceremonial incantations to countless German listeners. Widespread newspaper coverage called the "Action against the Un-German Spirit" a success. The Nazi war on "un-German" individual expression had begun.Photographed by Andrew Ruppenstein, August 27, 20252. The Book Burning of May 10, 1933 Marker - wide view
As early as two weeks before, American organizations like the American Jewish Congress knew of the planned book burnings and launched protests. With her books slated for the bonfires, Helen Keller confronted German students in an open letter: "History has taught you nothing if you think you can kill ideas. Tyrants have tried to do that often before, and the ideas have risen up in their might and destroyed them. You can burn my books and the books of the best minds in Europe, but the ideas in them have seeped through a million channels and will continue to quicken other minds." Similarly, novelist Sherwood Anderson, best-selling author Faith Baldwin, scriptwriter Erwin Cobb, and Nobel laureate Sinclair Lewis declared their solidarity with the banned writers and publicly protested the book burnings. Many writers called to mind the prophetic observationby 19th century German writer Heinrich Heine that "where one burns books, one will soon burn people."Photographed by Andrew Ruppenstein, August 27, 20253. View from marker site, looking across the squareLooking east from the marker site towards the actual book bonfire site, which was roughly in the middle of the square, with the Berlin State Opera building in the background.
Credits. This page was last revised on December 20, 2025. It was originally submitted on December 20, 2025, by Andrew Ruppenstein of Lamorinda, California. This page has been viewed 97 times since then and 30 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on December 20, 2025, by Andrew Ruppenstein of Lamorinda, California.
