Bebelplatz, Berlin

Bebelplatz is a public square whose open space and planted area gather around the State Opera. It took shape from 1740 as part of Friedrich the Great’s Forum Fridericianum, planned by Georg Wenzeslaus von Knobelsdorff in the Rokoko style. The surrounding ensemble includes the Alte Bibliothek, the Old Palace, the Prinzessinnenpalais and St.

Hedwig’s Cathedral. Look at the paving: its repeated stone pattern gives the open expanse a measured, architectural character. The place also carries a grave memory.

On 10 May 1933, Nazi-organised book burning took place here; about 20,000 books were destroyed, including works by Heinrich Mann, Karl Marx and other targeted authors. Set into the paving, Micha Ullman’s memorial presents a glass opening through which you can see empty bookcases, conceived to hold all the burned books. A line from Heinrich Heine’s play Almansor is engraved on a plaque in the square, warning that the destruction of books can lead to the destruction of people. The square bears the name of August Bebel, a founder of Germany’s Social Democratic Party.