„That was a prelude only, where you burn books, you soon burn people.“

This evocative Heinrich Heine quote stands as the basic idea above the annual reading held by the PICCOLO THEATER and the CLUB COMMISSION COTTBUS to commemorate the burning of books by the Nazis in 1933.

On the occasion of this event, a reading was held on May 8, 2021 – the day of liberation. On this day, various well-known personalities of the city of Cottbus and the region recited texts of the „burned“ literature. They were framed by a musical program of the Randale Orchestra together with DJ Heimlich Knüller, Kollektiv Ost as well as numerous guests.