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‘Parthenon’ Replica Made From Banned Books Towers Over Infamous Nazi Book Burning Site
An artist has erected a life-size replica of the famous Greek Parthenon at the site of an area where Nazis famously burned books. The replica is symbolically made of books that Germany and other countries — including the U.S. — have banned at different points throughout history.
The artist behind the work is Argentinian Marta Minujín, 74, who asked for donations of copies of banned books, needing an estimated 100,000 to complete his ambitious project. According to Bored Panda, Minujín said the project is meant to symbolize the resistance to political repression.
The Parthenon of Books is on display in Kassel, Germany as part of the Documenta 14 art festival. Minujín was assisted in the project by students at Kassel University. Together they identified over 170 titles that were either previously or currently banned in different countries around the world. The structure is made of books lining a steel structure and covered in plastic sheeting.
Pictures from the event show such famous works as Animal Farm, The Catcher and the Rye, Fahrenheit 451, The Da Vinci Code, and 1984, among many more. One book conspicuously absent is perhaps Germany’s most famous and controversial books, Adolf Hitler’s Mein Kampf.
The Parthenon of Books is located at a site where the Nazis burned some 2,000 books in 1933 as part of the fascist regime’s widespread propaganda campaign of censorship.
Documenta 14 art exhibit takes place in Kassel, Germany until September 17. Check out more images from The Parthenon of Books below.