“Roses for Clara” they say. Every International Women’s Day this statue of Clara Zetkin is adorned with flowers. This is the Clara Zetkin Statue in Berlin’s Marzahn district. It stands in Clara-Zetkin-Park.
This isn’t the original statue. The first one was a bronze bust. It was created in 1967. That bust was stolen in the early 1990s. This life-sized bronze portrait statue replaced it in 1999. The sculptor Gerhard Thieme created it in 1986. Before its current location it stood outside a teacher training institute.
Clara Zetkin was a powerful woman. She was a women’s rights activist. She helped found International Women’s Day. She was a member of the Social Democratic Party of Germany. She fought for women’s suffrage. She also championed women’s right to choose their professions. She fought for workplace protections for women. She co-founded the Independent Social Democratic Party of Germany with Rosa Luxemburg and Karl Liebknecht. Later she joined the Communist Party of Germany. She even became a member of the Reichstag.
The statue stands on a rectangular stone base. The base is slightly narrower at the bottom. The statue sits in a rectangular planter. The planter is surrounded by grass. A plaque on the base provides biographical information. It reads “Clara Zetkin Frauenrechtlerin geb 05 07 1857 gest 20 06 1933”.
This statue is more than just a monument. It’s a symbol. It symbolizes Clara Zetkin’s legacy. Her fight for equality continues to resonate. It reminds us of the ongoing struggle for women’s rights. The annual “Roses for Clara” event reinforces this. It is a testament to a woman who changed history. Look closely at the detail in the bronze. See the strength and determination etched into her face? That is the legacy of Clara Zetkin. That’s what this statue represents.