F.Engels’s office glittering with gold: did the father of socialism really allow himself such luxury?

A photo is circulating on Facebook in which, as statedthe office of F. Engels was captured.

Friedrich Engels Museum in Karl-Marx-Stadt. The table where the “Manifesto of the Communist Party” was written. Next to the sofa on which K. Marx used to sit.”

However, an object in the left part of the room that looks like a modern television or computer monitor, as well as a what is believed to be a swivel chair behind the table, cast doubt on whether this is a museum space.

In addition, the same photo can be found on several websites websitesdedicated to modern interior and design solutions.

These are mostly those who provide information in Russian web pages.

In one of them a photo of F. Engels’ office is shown, but from a different angle.

The company on whose website this image is published specializes in the creation of three-dimensional interior visualizations, so it is likely that such a room does not exist in reality, but is just a computer-generated illustration.

Facebook photo/Yes, according to some netizens, it looked like F. Engels’s office

Comrades and friends

F.Engelsas was born in the family of a German textile manufacturer. in 1842 met with K. Marxworked for the newspaper he edited “Rheinische Zeitung”1844 became the closest associate, materially supported.

In 1847, together with K. Marx, he founded the Communist Union.

Manifesto of the Communist Party (German Manifesto of the Communist Party), Declaration of Programmatic Principles of the Communist League, a secret organization of German émigrés, K.Mardo and F.Engelso written in 1848 in London.

The manifesto consists of 4 chapters, it begins with the words There is a specter wandering around Europe – the specter of communismends with a slogan Proletarians of all countries, unite!

This document became the basis of modern communist ideology, proclaiming the goal of creating a so-called “classless society” and defining the four main tasks of the communists – the destruction of religion, the destruction of national statehood, the destruction of the institution of the family and the institution of private property.

AFP/Scanpix photo/Moving statue

There is no rush to create a museum

Museums dedicated to K. Marx and F. Engels currently operating in Western Europe are usually related to their places of residence.

In the case of K. Marx, it is his hometown Trierand in the case of F. Engels – Vupertalis.

It should be kept in mind that the creators of the communist ideology spent a considerable part of their lives outside Germany, mainly in exile in London.

There are no museums established in their honor, but there are, for example, K.Marx Memorial Library (The. Karl Marx Memorial Library).

As for the city of Karl Marx (Karl-Marx-Stadt) – yes in 1953-1990. was called Chemnitz (at that time it belonged to the German Democratic Republic, which was part of the socialist camp).

However, there are no important events in the lives of K. Marx and F. Engels related to this city. There is also no information that the F. Engels Museum is located there.

AFP/Scanpix photo/Karl Marx sculpture and a woman reading Kapital

He wrote, but not at such a table

Assuming that the table on which the “Manifesto of the Communist Party” was born could be considered a museum piece, it becomes less clear how this piece of furniture ended up in Chemnitz when the manifesto was written for these figures already living in London.

German industrialist and Marxist philosopher Friedrich Engels was living in Manchester in the early 1940s and working at his father’s cotton thread factory in Veaste.

While living in Manchester, F. Engels made many detailed observations, after which the work “The Condition of the Working Class in England” was published.

K. Marx, who lived in London, often visited Manchester, and in 1845 in the summer he and F. Engels used to work at the table together in the Chetham Public Library Reading Room.

The library clearly made a strong impression on both men.

Many years later, in 1870, when writing to K. Marx, F. Engels said: “During the last few days I have again spent a great deal of time sitting at the square table in the alcove where we sat together twenty-four years ago.

I really like this place. Stained glass ensures that the weather is always good here. Old Jones, the librarian, is still alive, but he is very old and out of business. I didn’t see him.”

Except for the stained glass windows, which in 1875 were damaged in a winter storm and replaced with plain glass, the desk and alcove remained intact. The books both men studied are still kept in the library.

AFP/Scanpix Photo/Manchester

15min verdict: lie. Basically, the published photo and the caption to it could be considered a humorous message. However, it misleads some viewers who are convinced that the photograph really captures the study room of K. Marx and F. Engels. The indication that this is a museum dedicated to F. Engels can also be misleading.

The publication was prepared in 15 minutes in partnership with Metawhich aims to stop the spread of misleading news on the social network. More about the program and its rules – here.