Das Blutbad im Keglerheim Stele

Nine shots shattered the winter night. Nine lives were lost in the chaos. Here, at the Das Blutbad im Keglerheim Stele, we remember a pivotal moment in Dresden’s history, a precursor to the horrors soon to engulf Germany. Das Blutbad im Keglerheim Stele marks the site of the Keglerheim, a bowling alley and meeting place. On January 25, 1933, just days before Hitler’s rise to power, it became a scene of violence. A KPD, Communist Party, demonstration had taken place earlier that day, countering a Nazi march. That evening, the Keglerheim hosted a “Kampfbund gegen den Faschismus” event. The hall overflowed with 600-800 people, eager to hear calls for resistance. A speaker urged the crowd to fight back against Nazi aggression. “If you are beaten, beat back. If you are stabbed, stab back. If you are shot, shoot back.” Police, monitoring the event, interpreted this as incitement to violence. Their attempt to clear the hall ignited a chaotic struggle. Whether the police were attacked first or whether they initiated the violence remains unclear. What is undeniable is the tragic outcome. Police fired into the crowd, killing nine and injuring twelve. Six days later, the victims were buried at the Johannisfriedhof. Their funeral became a massive antifascist demonstration, uniting over 30,000 workers. In the DDR era, the Keglerheim incident was woven into the official narrative. It was labeled the “Blutbad im Keglerheim,” the Bloodbath at the Bowling Alley, and used for propaganda purposes. Today, Das Blutbad im Keglerheim Stele stands as a reminder. It prompts reflection on a night of fear and violence. It serves as a stark warning of how quickly words can escalate into tragedy, and how easily history can be manipulated.