Discover history: Karl Marx Monument
To begin with: Karl Marx was never in this city. Nevertheless, Chemnitz was renamed Karl-Marx-Stadt on 10 May 1953 in accordance with the wishes of the GDR state party SED. The city had been characterised by industry and work for decades, so the new name made perfect sense to some political decision-makers. However, there were also other voices that spoke out against the renaming - the population itself was never consulted.
The old city with the new name, the centre of which had been largely destroyed towards the end of the Second World War, was to be developed into a model socialist city. In order to lend this goal monumental expressiveness, a memorial was also to be created that emphasised the political line of those in power at the time. The Soviet sculptor Professor Lev Yefimovich Kerbel was commissioned.
From 1965 onwards, a suitable location for the memorial was sought through extensive research. Considerations regarding the redevelopment of the city centre and the creation of a central square for marches and rallies played a role. Initially, an 11 metre high full-body sculpture was planned, but this was quickly rejected due to its size and impact. Kerbel surprised even more with a new design that only showed the head. Kerbel countered his critics with the argument that "Karl Marx needs no legs, no hands, his head says it all." The bronze bust, which is over 7.1 metres high, weighs 40 tonnes and consists of 95 individual parts, stands on a 4.50 metre high granite plinth. It is one of the largest portrait busts in the world. The individual parts were cast in the Monumentskulptura art foundry in Leningrad and the granite comes from the Korninsky quarry in the Ukraine. The monument was inaugurated on 9 October 1971.
The writing mirror on the building behind the bust is also part of the urban ensemble. It was designed by the Chemnitz artists Volker Beier (sculptor) and Heinz Schumann (typeface designer) and quotes the sentence from the Communist Manifesto: "Proletarians of all countries unite" in four languages - German, English, French and Russian.
To this day, the monument - always somewhat grumpy and serious - looks at the various social developments. In GDR times, the monument was the destination of the annual 1 May demonstrations and was the scene of other political celebrations. It is a good example of how the philosopher Karl Marx was instrumentalised by the Soviet Union and the government of the German Democratic Republic.
This makes it all the more significant that in autumn 1989 it was also the venue for the Monday demonstrations of the New Forum and that prominent speakers from all parties took to the podium in 1990. On 1 June 1990, the city was renamed Chemnitz. In the run-up to this, a public survey had shown that more than 76 per cent voted in favour of the historical name. Although demolition of the Marx head was discussed, there was no majority in favour. This is still the case today. The monument has been on the list of cultural monuments of the Free State of Saxony since 1990. Since then, together with the plaque on the building behind it and the framing open spaces, it has been a cultural monument of architectural, urban design and historical significance.
The Marx head, usually referred to as "Nischel" or "Kopp" by the locals, serves as a backdrop for art and advertising campaigns, concerts or performances as well as a highly symbolic backdrop for political statements of intent. Souvenirs bear witness to the creative use of this special sight.
And why does it look so gloomy now? Perhaps because there is still injustice, lack of freedom and modern slavery in the world. Perhaps because dictatorships have invoked him, suppressed other opinions, arrested disagreeable people and destroyed lives.
With the monument and the listed buildings surrounding it, the city has a unique urban ensemble that continues to inspire debate, is an expression of a bygone era and part of Chemnitz's city history.