German Liberty Library

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The German Freedom Library in Paris was founded in 1934 by German exiles to collect all the writings that had been banned and burned in the German National Socialist Reich . It was located in the 8th arrondissement in a studio at 65 Boulevard Arago. It went back to the International Anti-Fascist Archive , which had been founded shortly before.

Tasks and holdings

The task of the German Freedom Library was to collect all books that could contribute to the anti-fascist struggle against National Socialism from exile . An important purpose of these materials was to provide political and documentary pamphlets based on the example of the Brown Book on the Reichstag Fire and Hitler Terror, which was created shortly before the library was founded. These publications contributed significantly to the anti-fascist work of German-speaking emigrants. In this way, for example, the white paper on the shootings of June 30, 1934 was created . Furthermore, there were numerous exhibitions organized by the German Freedom Library, which often took place parallel to the publication of the combat writings. Based on the founding occasion , it was also the main bearer of the annual memorial days on May 10, the day of the books burned , i.e. the anniversary of the book burnings.

The collection of the German Freedom Library comprised around 20,000 books - 13,000 of which were already available at the time of the inauguration - as well as hundreds of folders with newspaper articles and other documents. These were all books that were either burned during the book burnings in Germany under National Socialism, or that were banned, censored or hushed up independently, and all the writings that the German emigrants were able to save, brought into exile and made available as well as other works that were necessary to deal comprehensively with the Third Reich . In addition, she also made available all the documents that the International Anti-Fascist Archives had already collected.

history

Foundation and opening

As an organization, the German Freedom Library was affiliated with the International Anti-Fascist Archive , which was founded by the World Committee for the Victims of Fascism in December 1933. The idea of ​​opening the library went back to this, presumably to the director of the archive - Alfred Kantorowicz. In January 1934 a reception took place in Paris at which the initiative committee for the creation of a German Liberty Library was formed under the presidency of Romain Rolland. Over the next few weeks, this called on German-speaking intellectuals in exile to provide materials for the library and created the exhibition, which opened on May 10, 1934, on the first anniversary of the book burnings in Germany.

Several speeches at this opening event clarified the intentions of the founders and the opinions of external visitors. The main speaker was Egon Erwin Kisch . He explained the revolutionary aim of the library in the intellectual struggle. It was not only created to commemorate the book burnings, but also a commitment to fight against National Socialism. Ultimately, the library should be transferred to Berlin. In addition to him, several other Germans and French spoke at the opening, including Alfred Kantorowicz.

History up to the destruction in 1940

The library started working right after it opened. Eight workers at a time - voluntary or for a starvation wage - took care of the maintenance and expansion of the collection as well as the preparation of exhibitions and events. The main work was done by Max Schröder. As early as June 1934, the anti-fascist archive and the freedom library were merged into one institution. Between April 1935 and January 1937 the communications of the German Freedom Library came out, which appeared at irregular intervals and reported on various things about the library, but also on independent events of intellectual emigrants in Paris, and served as a forum.

The cooperation with the International Writers' Congress for the Defense of Culture , which took place in Paris in 1935, and the response to a National Socialist exhibition in Paris in 1936 - The Free German Book - should be mentioned as important activities, each with an exhibition and a parallel martial script . The most important company in the library was the exhibition Das Deutsche Buch in Paris 1837–1937 , which took place at the same time as the 1937 World Exhibition in Paris and was aimed at both Reich Germans and French. The library's holdings were never transferred to Germany because it was destroyed after the war began.

Important persons

Members of the initiative committee

See also

Web links

literature

  • Dieter Schiller: The day of the burned book and the German Liberty Library in Paris. On the 70th anniversary of the foundation of the German Freedom Library in May 1934 (= Pankower lectures. Issue 62). Berlin 2004, DNB 971590753 , pp. 27-45.
  • Alfred Kantorowicz: Politics and Literature in Exile. German-speaking writers in the fight against National Socialism. Hamburg 1978, ISBN 3-7672-0546-7 , pp. 257-314.

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Alfred Kantorowicz: Politics and literature in exile. German-speaking writers in the fight against National Socialism. Hamburg 1978, p. 278.
  2. ^ Dieter Schiller: The day of the burned book and the German Liberty Library in Paris. On the 70th anniversary of the foundation of the German Freedom Library in May 1934 (= Pankower lectures. Issue 62). Berlin 2004, DNB 971590753 , pp. 33-35.
  3. ^ Dieter Schiller: The day of the burned book and the German Liberty Library in Paris. 2004, pp. 30-31.
  4. ^ Alfred Kantorowicz: Politics and literature in exile. German-speaking writers in the fight against National Socialism. Hamburg 1978, p. 274.
  5. ^ Dieter Schiller: The day of the burned book and the German Liberty Library in Paris. 2004, pp. 29-30.
  6. ^ Dieter Schiller: The day of the burned book and the German Liberty Library in Paris. 2004, pp. 31-33.
  7. ^ Dieter Schiller: The day of the burned book and the German Liberty Library in Paris. 2004, pp. 33-37.
  8. ^ Dieter Schiller: The day of the burned book and the German Liberty Library in Paris. 2004, pp. 37-45.