Capa house

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Capa house in December 2015

The Capa-Haus at Jahnallee 61 in Leipzig - Lindenau was named after the American war reporter and photographer Robert Capa . Capa shot the series of photos “Last man to die” ( The Last Man to Die in World War II) of the fallen US soldier Raymond J. Bowman . The recordings became internationally known through their publication in Life Magazine .

history

Lehman Riggs before the unveiling of the memorial plaque at Capa House on April 17, 2016

During the liberation of Leipzig on April 18, 1945 by American troops, soldiers of the 2nd US Infantry Division were in the building at Jahnallee 61 (2nd floor), who were supposed to cover the storming of the Zeppelin Bridge in the immediate vicinity with a Browning MG .30 caliber . One soldier was fatally wounded. Robert Capa accompanied the US soldiers at that time, and he was able to document the events of the last days of the war in Leipzig. The photo series by Robert Capa from Leipzig's Jahnallee was first published in Life Magazine on May 14, 1945, but without mentioning the victim's name. Bowman's identity was only clarified 67 years later by Lehman Riggs and the military historian Jürgen Möller . 70 years after Bowman's death, the section of Erich-Köhn-Strasse opposite Capa-Haus was renamed Capastrasse on April 18, 2015 as part of a ceremony .

present

The house had been empty since the end of 1990. On New Year's Eve 2011/2012 it burned down in part and the demolition could only be stopped by a citizens' initiative. The investor Horst Langner undertook the complex renovation, which was completed in 2016. Café Eigler was opened in December 2015 . So that the events of April 18, 1945 are not forgotten, an exhibition room in the café has been commemorating them since April 17, 2016.

On the occasion, the now 96-year-old American contemporary witness Lehman Riggs (he witnessed the death of his comrade Raymond Bowman in the immediate vicinity) traveled back to the historic site to, among other things, rename the street at the corner of Jahnallee and Lützner Strasse in Bowmanstrasse and to unveil a plaque personally at the Capa-Haus. On April 18, 2019, the US consul Emily Yasmin Norris remembered the victims of the World War, in particular the US soldier Raymond J. Bowman who fell in this house in front of the Capa House. At the same time she reminded of Lehman Riggs, who fought with Bowman on this balcony.

US veteran Lehman Riggs celebrated his 100th birthday in Tennessee on January 18, 2020 . The Leipziger Volkszeitung remembered him.

The new building complex around the Capa-Haus is called Palmengarten-Palais after the renovation .


  • Showcase in the exhibition room Capa-Haus 2016

  • Capastraße in Leipzig

  • Lehman Riggs in Leipzig on April 17, 2016

literature

Web links

Commons : Capa-Haus  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Issue of May 14, 1945 - Life Magazine , click on the 2nd mini picture under the cover picture.
  2. ^ Capa house in Leipzig, citizens' initiative. In: WordPress. Accessed January 31, 2020 .
  3. ^ Daniela Bensch: The Foundation. The Capa House and its history. ( Memento of February 4, 2017 in the Internet Archive ). In: Leipziger Denkmalstiftung , February 4, 2017.
  4. ^ Jens Rometsch: Matinee for the 100th birthday of Robert Capa in the theater of the Junge Welt. In: Leipziger Volkszeitung , October 16, 2013.
  5. ^ Café Eigler in the Capa House
  6. ^ Jens Rometsch: Liberation of Leipzig. Memory of all World War II victims. In: Leipziger Volkszeitung , April 20, 2019.
  7. ^ Jens Rometsch: Congratulations from Leipzig. US war veteran Riggs turns 100. In: Leipziger Volkszeitung , January 18, 2020, original article, only beginning free , more opening text , ( Memento from January 22, 2020 in the web archive archive.today ).

Coordinates: 51 ° 20 ′ 17.6 ″  N , 12 ° 20 ′ 31.4 ″  E