Photos: Unknown authorUnknown author, Wikimedia Commons, Public domain Michael.F.H.Barth, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 Uoaei1, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo credits
Photos: Unknown authorUnknown author, Wikimedia Commons, Public domain Michael.F.H.Barth, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 Uoaei1, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Bebelplatz: the square that burned books
Your local guide
Klaus Richter
View profile
Highlights
- A square that once burned books
- Empty shelves beneath a glass panel
- 1933, remembered without a statue
- A quiet memorial with a hard history
- Bebelplatz, explained plainly
About this tour
This session stays at Bebelplatz, looking at the square and the memorial set into its pavement. You see the open space where a 1933 book burning took place, organised by students and Nazi officials. The session finishes at the glass panel looking down on empty bookshelves, sized to hold every book destroyed that night.
We start with a short sound check on the square. I keep the pace slow, since the memorial rewards a careful look, and take questions about the events of 1933 as they come. Afterwards I send a short note on the writers whose books were burned.
This suits anyone interested in how a city remembers a difficult episode through a small, quiet monument. It also works well as a short add-on to the Unter den Linden walk.
Included
- Live video walk with a local guide
- Questions to your guide all the way
- A short list of places to visit later
Not included
- Internet connection
- Travel to the city
Itinerary
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Welcome and sound check 5 min
The guide joins the video call, checks the picture and sound with you, and gives you a quick sense of Berlin before heading out.
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Bebelplatz square 15 min
The camera takes in the open square, and I explain how it was the site of a 1933 book burning organised by students and Nazi officials.
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The underground memorial 15 min
We look down through the glass panel set into the pavement, and I point out the empty bookshelves below, sized to hold every book burned that night.
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Your questions 7 min
Time to ask anything about Berlin: prices, safety, food, or whatever you are curious about.
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A short list to keep 3 min
Before you go, the guide sums up with a few things worth remembering: a dish to try: Eisbein (pork knuckle) and Mitte, worth a slower look.
Good to know
- A stable wifi or mobile connection makes the picture smoother than a shaky one.
- Any phone, tablet or laptop with a camera works. You watch, the guide does the walking.
- Times are shown in Berlin time, so check the time where you are before you book.
- The session is not recorded, and recording it yourself is not allowed. Feel free to take your own notes.
- Ask questions any time, out loud or in the chat. The guide will pause to answer.
- Sessions run in small groups, up to 7 people, so there is room for everyone to ask something.
Questions about this tour
What will the session cover?
The guide walks through Berlin, showing you Bebelplatz square and The underground memorial live on camera, plus whatever else you would like to see.
What happens if my connection drops?
Rejoin with the same link within a few minutes and the guide will catch you up on anything you missed.
Can I ask the guide questions during the session, or is it a fixed script?
Anything, any time. Sessions leave room for your own questions throughout, not just at the end.
Do I need to know the history already?
No background needed. The guide explains everything as it comes up.
How it works
- You get one join link after booking.
- Join from any device: phone, tablet or laptop.
- We meet on Google Meet; the link comes with your booking. I walk Berlin live with my phone.
Times shown in Berlin time (CET)
Cancellation
Flexible
- Cancel up to 24 hours before the start: full refund.
- Cancel less than 24 hours before the start, or no-show: no refund.
- If the guide cancels or the date does not reach its minimum group: full refund.
- Cancel in My Account → Bookings; the refund is calculated from the start time in the tour's local time.
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Next: Wed 18 Nov · 7 seats left From 19,00 €
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