hidden europe 62

Wuppertal's famous son

by hidden europe

Picture above: Friedrich Engels in the Engelsgarten in the Wuppertal district of Barmen. The house where he was born is behind the statue (photo © Elena Klippert / dreamstime.com).

Summary

The German city of Wuppertal marks the bicentenary of the birth of Friedrich Engels this autumn. He was born in the Barmen district of Wuppertal on 28 November 1820.

While the German city of Trier has long capitalized on its historic links with Karl Marx, the Wuppertal region has made less of the Engels connection. The house where Friedrich Engels was born is in the Wuppertal district of Barmen. It is a handsome late-baroque residence on a road now very appropriately named Engelsstrasse. The house reflects the status of the Engels family. The building has undergone a thorough renovation over the last four years and reopens to the public on the bicentennial of Engels’ birth.

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