Karl Marx Monument, Chemnitz

Last updated
Karl Marx Monument
Karl Marx memorial.jpg
Karl-Marx-Monument in Chemnitz
Karl Marx Monument, Chemnitz
LocationChemnitz
DesignerLev Kerbel
TypeStylized head
MaterialBronze
Height7.10m (23.29ft)
Beginning date10 May 1953
Opening date9 October 1971
Dedicated toKarl Marx

The Karl Marx Monument (German : Karl-Marx-Monument) is a 7.10m (23.29ft)-tall stylized head of Karl Marx in Chemnitz, Germany. The heavy-duty sculpture, together with the base platform, stand over 13 meters (42 feet) tall and weighs approximately 40 tonnes. [1] On a wall just behind the monument, the phrase "Workers of the world, unite!" (from the Communist Manifesto) is inscripted in four languages: German, English, French and Russian.

Contents

It is the most famous monument in the inner city of Chemnitz, where it has gained the nickname "Nischel", [2] which is derived from the Saxon term for head or skull.

History

After renaming the city and the district of Chemnitz to Karl-Marx-Stadt on 10 May 1953 for Karl Marx Year, the East German government decided to honour the namesake of the city, and hired a Soviet sculptor, Lev Kerbel, to design a monument.

The monument was cast in the art foundry Monument Skulptura in Leningrad in bronze and then broken down into 95 pieces. In Karl-Marx-Stadt, these items were to be welded together again, but the Soviet technology was not suitable. Instead, it was decided to transfer the job to the VEB Germania. The monument stands on two pedestals with Korninskij granite, named after the mining region in southern Ukraine.

On 9 October 1971, the monument was inaugurated before a crowd of around 250,000 people along Karl-Marx-Allee (popularly referred to as "Nischelgasse" ("Skull Alley"), today's Brückenstraße).

As the landmark of the city, it served during holidays in the German Democratic Republic as a backdrop for pageants and other mass events. The monument remained intact after German reunification, although the proposed demolition of the monument led to a heated debate when Karl-Marx-Stadt returned to its former name of Chemnitz. Many other cities around the world at that time reported interest in buying the monument; there have been discussions about a sale to Cologne.

Until 2007, the motto of the city was "Stadt mit Köpfchen" (the city with heads/brains), referring to the monument.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chemnitz</span> City in Saxony, Germany

Chemnitz is the third-largest city in the German state of Saxony after Leipzig and Dresden. It is the fifth largest city in the area of former East Germany after (East) Berlin, Leipzig, Dresden and Halle. The city is part of the Central German Metropolitan Region, and lies in the middle of a string of cities sitting in the densely populated northern foreland of the Elster and Ore Mountains, stretching from Plauen in the southwest via Zwickau, Chemnitz and Freiberg to Dresden in the northeast.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chemnitz (region)</span> Direktionsbezirk in Saxony, Germany

Chemnitz is one of the three former Direktionsbezirke of Saxony, Germany, located in the south-west of the state. It coincided with the Planungsregion Südsachsen. It was disbanded in March 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wanderer (company)</span> German manufacturer of bicycles, motorcycles and automobiles

Wanderer was a German manufacturer of bicycles, motorcycles, automobiles, vans and other machinery. Established as Winklhofer & Jaenicke in 1896 by Johann Baptist Winklhofer and Richard Adolf Jaenicke, the company used the Wanderer brand name from 1911, making civilian automobiles until 1941 and military vehicles until 1945.

Oliver-Sven Buder is a German track and field athlete, who in the 1990s belonged to the best shot-putters in the world. The high point of his career came at the World Championships in 1997 and 1999 where he won the silver medal. Until 1990 he represented East Germany.

SC Karl-Marx-Stadt was a sports club located at Karl-Marx-Stadt in the German Democratic Republic.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chemnitzer BC</span> German football club

Chemnitzer BC was a German association football club playing in Chemnitz, Saxony. The club was established 2 December 1899 as Chemnitzer Sportclub Britannia and was a founding member of the German Football Association at Leipzig in 1900.

The administrative divisions of the German Democratic Republic were constituted in two different forms during the country's history. The GDR first retained the traditional German division into federated states called Länder, but in 1952 they were replaced with districts called Bezirke. Immediately before German reunification in 1990, the Länder were restored, but they were not effectively reconstituted until after reunification had completed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lev Kerbel</span> Russian sculptor

Lev Yefimovich Kerbel was a Soviet and Russian sculptor of socialist realist works. Kerbel's creations included statues of Karl Marx, Vladimir Lenin, Yuri Gagarin, which were sent by Soviet Government as gifts to socialist and the Third World countries across the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dieter Erler</span> German footballer

Dieter Erler was a German footballer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saxon Railway Museum</span> Museum

The Saxon Railway Museum is located in Chemnitz, in the state of Saxony, eastern Germany. It is situated on the site of the former locomotive depot for goods train locomotives in the district Hilbersdorf.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stadion an der Gellertstraße</span>

Stadion an der Gellertstraße is a single-use football stadium in Chemnitz, Germany and the home stadium of Chemnitzer FC. Between 1950 and 1990, the stadium was called "Dr.-Kurt-Fischer-Stadion". The stadium was later nicknamed the "Fischerwiese".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sportforum Chemnitz</span>

Sportforum Chemnitz is a multi-purpose stadium, in Chemnitz, Germany. The capacity of the stadium is 18,500 spectators. It was used as the stadium of Chemnitzer BC and later for home matches of FC Karl-Marx-Stadt.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bezirk Karl-Marx-Stadt</span>

The Bezirk Karl-Marx-Stadt, also known as Bezirk Chemnitz, was a district (Bezirk) of East Germany. The district would last from 1952 up to the Reunification of Germany in 1990. The administrative seat and the main town was Karl-Marx-Stadt, renamed back to Chemnitz during the reunification of Germany.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jürgen Schmieder</span> German politician

Jürgen Schmieder is a politician, originally from East Germany, who came to prominence during the months immediately preceding German reunification.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rolf Frick</span>

Rolf Frick was a German university professor and politician.

<i>Statue of Joseph Stalin, Berlin</i>

The Berlin Stalin statue was a bronze portrayal of the Soviet leader Joseph Stalin. A Komsomol delegation had presented the sculpture to the East Berlin government on the occasion of the Third World Festival of Youth and Students in 1951. The monument was formally dedicated on 3 August 1951 after temporary placement at a location on a newly designed and impressive boulevard, Stalinallee, being constructed at the time in what was then the Berlin district of Friedrichshain. Stalin monuments were generally removed from public view by the leadership of the Soviet Union and other associated countries, including East Germany, during the period of De-Stalinization. In Berlin the statue and all street signs designating Stalinallee were hastily removed one night in a clandestine operation and the street was renamed Karl-Marx-Allee and Frankfurter Allee. The bronze sculpture was smashed and the pieces were recycled.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Annerose Baier</span> German ice dancer (1946–2022)

Annerose Baier, married surname: Wetzel, was a German ice dancer who represented East Germany. With her skating partner, Eberhard Rüger, she became a three-time Blue Swords champion, the 1968 Prize of Moscow News champion, and an eight-time East German national champion. They finished in the top ten at eight ISU Championships. Their best continental result, fourth, came at the 1970 European Championships in Leningrad, Soviet Union. They finished as high as sixth at the World Championships, in 1969 and 1970.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eberhard Rüger</span> East German ice dancer

Eberhard Rüger is a German former ice dancer who represented East Germany. With his skating partner, Annerose Baier, he became a three-time Blue Swords champion, the 1968 Prize of Moscow News champion, and an eight-time East German national champion. They finished in the top ten at eight ISU Championships. Their best continental result, fourth, came at the 1970 European Championships in Leningrad, Soviet Union. They finished as high as sixth at the World Championships, in 1969 and 1970.

References

  1. "Karl-Marx-Monument". Atlas Obscura. Retrieved 2021-09-01.
  2. Kresta, Edith (6 July 2010). "CHEMNITZ: Wo Karl Marx raucht". Die Tageszeitung: taz (in German). Retrieved 18 January 2022.

50°50′9″N12°55′24″E / 50.83583°N 12.92333°E / 50.83583; 12.92333