In 1933, books by Brecht, Mann, Marx and other ‘subversives’ went up in flames on this treeless square during the first full-blown public book burning, staged by the Nazi German Student League. Named for August Bebel, the co-founder of Germany's Social Democratic Party (SPD), it was first laid out in the 18th century under Frederick the Great.
Originally called Opernplatz (Opera Square), it was intended to be the hub of the Forum Fridericianium, a cultural centre envisioned by the king. Money woes meant that only some of the buildings could be realised: the Staatsoper Unter den Linden (State Opera House), the Alte Königliche Bibliothek (Old Royal Library), a palace for the king's brother Heinrich (now the Humboldt University) and the copper-domed St-Hedwigs-Kathedrale.
