Karl Liebknecht has a simple memorial in Prenzlauer Berg. It is a stone with a bronze medallion and a worn inscription, set up in 1959

Karl Liebknecht was murdered just months after the November Revolution in Germany, which resulted in the emperor’s abdication. Today, Liebknecht is honored in several locations throughout Berlin, including a memorial stone in Prenzlauer Berg.

Karl Liebknecht was a German socialist who fiercely opposed war and fought for workers’ rights. He was elected to the German parliament in 1912, but his most famous act was his lone vote against funding World War I in 1914, believing it only helped the wealthy and hurt ordinary people.

As the war dragged on, Liebknecht became even more outspoken. Along with Rosa Luxemburg he demanded an end to the war and a socialist revolution. He organized anti-war protests and strikes, leading to multiple arrests and imprisonment for treason.

When Germany finally lost the World War I in November 1918, revolution broke out. Liebknecht was freed and helped found the Communist Party of Germany (KPD).

In January 1919, Liebknecht led an uprising in Berlin against the new, moderate government. The uprising failed, and both Liebknecht and Luxemburg were captured and murdered by a right-wing militia on January 15, 1919.

Their murder made them martyrs for the communists and the socialist revolution that only came to East Germany after World War II. Today, both Luxemburg and Liebknecht are remembered with several memorials in Berlin.

The Karl Liebknecht memorial stone in Prenzlauer Berg is one of them.

The Karl Liebknecht Memorial Stone

The memorial stone, crafted by Otto Mercker between 1958 and 1959, is made of granite fieldstone. It features a bronze medallion with a relief of Karl Liebknecht and an inscription that has become nearly illegible over time.

The Karl Liebknecht memorial stone is placed quietly on the corner of Prenzlauer Allee and Saarbrücker Straße. You need to watch carefully to spot it.