Karl Marx Monument
the Karl Marx Monument is a plastics large over seven meters, which represents the head representative by Karl Marx. It is the most well-known landmark of the city Chemnitz. The Monument is called also Karl Marx head or Nischel. With this monument it concerns the largest Porträtbüste of the world. On the wall at the “party saw”, behind the Monument, one sees the signature „to proletarian of all countries combines you! “from the communist manifesto in the four languages German, English, French and Russian.
designations
apart from the name Karl Marx Monument exist also the designations Karl Marx head and Nischel. Nischel is the local pointed name for the monument and leads itself from the eastCentral German name for head and/or. Head off. The appearance of the head of Marx, rather oppressed, got off according to a joke that it could not go into the Intershop at that time, it directly regarded, since this was on the other roadside.
history
the city Chemnitz was renamed after the Second World War 1953 in Karl Marx city. This renaming was the foundation-stone for the transformation of the industrial city into a “socialist sample city”. Thus also the reconstruction of the city was introduced after plans of the socialist town construction. With a Monument in honours of the name giver of the city this transformation should be embodied into a city of socialist type.
For the production of such a plastics of the Soviet sculptor Lew Kerbel was suggested more than ten basic drafts, from which only one corresponded to that of the actually converted Monuments of a head on a base. All other drafts were conceived than holistic representations of the body of Karl Marx. The decision fell for the exclusive representation of the head, since the viewer would have seen the shoes of the philosopher during a complete body representation in addendum.
The Monument had been poured months before the establishment into Karl Marx city in the art foundry Monument Skulptura into Leningrad into bronze and divided then into 95 individual parts. In Karl Marx city these individual parts should be welded together again, but the Soviet technology was not to be transferred suitably, so that one decided, the order to the VEB Germania, since otherwise tearing the welded together parts apart was to be feared.
To 9. October 1971 was inaugurated the monument to the author of the communist manifesto before approximately 250,000 humans, who were on at the Monument along prominent Karl Marx avenue, today bridging route. Present with the exposure of the new landmark of the city among other things Erich was Honecker. The symbol of the city Karl Marx city was also motive of the frequently used stamp to 35 Pfennig of the continuous series of “buildings” of the former GDR.
This symbol of socialism remained received for the city Chemnitz also after the German reunification, although with renaming in the earlier city names an outline of the monument was violently discussed. Numerous cities from all world announced at that time interest in a purchase of the monument, it gave berits discussions over a sales to Cologne. Today the guidance saying of the city “city with Köpfchen” is expressed and refers thereby in the Monument.
Coordinates: 50° 50 ' 9 " N, 12° 55 ' 24 " O
