Bebelplatz: the 1933 book-burning square and the empty library

Updated on October 9, 2026

Bebelplatz, in the heart of Mitte, is framed by grand buildings: the State Opera, St. Hedwig's Cathedral, the former Royal Library and, across Unter den Linden, Humboldt University. It is also where, on 10 May 1933, Nazi students burned some 20,000 books by Jewish, Marxist, pacifist or simply independent authors, among them Heinrich Heine, Karl Marx, Sigmund Freud, Thomas and Heinrich Mann. In the middle of the square, a glass pane set into the paving recalls the event through an absence: an underground library with empty shelves. Entry is free at any hour; allow 15 to 20 minutes.

Highlights

The sunken library

A work by the Israeli artist Micha Ullman, unveiled on 20 March 1995 and titled "Bibliothek". A square pane at ground level shows a white room of empty shelves, lit day and night; the shelves could hold about 20,000 books. You have to lean over the glass, and the sky's reflection sometimes gets in the way: step to the side or shade the glass with your hand.

The square and its buildings

Around the square stand the State Opera (Staatsoper), St. Hedwig's Cathedral, the former Royal Library (the "Kommode", now part of the university) and, across Unter den Linden, Humboldt University. The square has been named after August Bebel, co-founder of the German Social Democratic Party, since 1947.

Heine's quotation

A plaque set into the ground near the glass carries these words by Heinrich Heine, from his play Almansor (1821): "That was only a prelude; where they burn books, they will in the end also burn people." A stark reminder of what followed.

Practical info

Tips

Entry is free, with no ticket and no opening hours. The visit is short: combine it with the Brandenburg Gate, St. Hedwig's Cathedral and the Museum Island in a single walk. It is a memorial: speak quietly and do not sit on the glass. To go further, the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe is a 15-minute walk away, and our guide to Berlin and the Second World War puts the event in context.

How to get there

Bebelplatz, 10117 Berlin, between Unter den Linden and Behrenstraße. U6 to Französische Straße, about 5 minutes on foot; U5 to Museumsinsel, about 8 minutes; bus 100 to Staatsoper, which runs along Unter den Linden. The Brandenburg Gate is a 15-minute walk west and the Gendarmenmarkt 8 minutes south. Our page on the Unter den Linden boulevard describes the rest of the avenue.