Bebelplatz: kas ir apkārt, kā nokļūt un kad doties · 2026. g.

The square is tied to the student-led book burning organized under Nazi rule, when crowds incinerated confiscated works outside the university. An underground installation by Micha Ullman now marks the event beneath the cobblestones, revealing subterranean shelves with enough room for every lost volume. An inset bronze plaque quotes Heinrich Heine, warning that burning books inevitably leads to burning human lives.

Postwar authorities renamed the plaza after August Bebel, a founder of the Social Democratic Party, following the destruction of the surrounding district in air raids and urban fighting. Rebuilt facades restored the historic perimeter, while the avenue of linden trees still halts at the old baroque fortification line. Today Humboldt University students hold an annual book sale here, keeping the paved space active.