Karl Marx House, Trier, Germany

The Karl Marx House museum (Karl-Marx-Haus) is a biographical and writer's house museum in Trier. In 1818, Karl Marx, the father of Marxism, which influenced both modern socialism and communism, was born in the house. It is now a museum about Karl Marx's life and writings as well as the history of communism.

The house was built in 1727 as a two-story baroque building. Karl Marx was born there on 5 May 1818. In October 1819, the Marx family moved to a smaller building near the Porta Nigra. The significance of the house went unnoticed until 1904, at which point the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) attempted to acquire the home, succeeding in 1928. After the Nazi Party came to power in 1933, the building was confiscated and turned into a printing house.

On 5 May 1947 the building was opened as a museum of the life and works of Karl Marx. In 1968 it was integrated into the Friedrich Ebert Foundation, a political party foundation closely aligned with the SPD. On 14 March 1983, the 100th anniversary of Marx's death, the museum was re-opened after a year-long renovation that expanded it to three floors.

Exhibits

On the occasion of the bicentennial of Karl Marx's birth on 5 May 2018, the exhibition was completely reworked with a new concept entitled 'From Trier to the World. Karl Marx, his ideas and their impact until today'. The exhibition consists of three major units and features a further unit on the history of the house itself. The first area deals with the biography of Karl Marx, addressing his origins in Trier and his life in exile. The second is devoted to his work, where Marx appears as a philosopher, as a journalist, as a sociologist and as an economist, and the third shows the global impact of Marx up to the present day.

Amongst the exhibits are Marx's reading chair, a first edition of Das Kapital and a bust of Marx which was sculpted by his great-grandson.

References:

Wikipedia

User Reviews

wendy joerns (2 years ago)
This was an unexpected museum for me. I was not going to go in. I got a ticket and enjoyed the displays. I can only read English. There was a lot of information and I enjoyed how it was displayed. The garden was wonderful too.

Floris van Hal (2 years ago)
I guess it's fun to see. Marx was born here and lived here for about a year. It's inexpensive and a quick stop if you do not read everything. However, the information is quite extensive if you're interested in all of it (mostly deals with the effects of Marx's work) and it is laid out logically.

Nethmi Jayasekara (2 years ago)
Cozy place. Must visit place if you're in Trier. Easy to find the place. Can learn the whole life story of Karl Marx during experiencing his birth place. You can contribute to the place by buying some souvenirs of Karl Marx.

Padmini M S (2 years ago)
Trier is the birthplace of Karl Marx, the German philosopher, economist and socialist revolutionary. A few meters from the city centre is the baroque house where he was born. Today, the property is owned by SDP ( Socialist Democratic Party). It is converted into a museum that showcases the important works of Karl Marx and the influence they had on society. The displays are both in German and English. There is an adjoining garden too. No waiting time. Ticket can be bought at the entrance.

Petr Kalager (2 years ago)
Interesting beautiful well preserved house with a good presentation of his ideas. Marx's chair which was used during his lifetime in London.

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