Marx as a Migrant – A digital narrative

Karl Marx lived a long life as a migrant. Fleeing from the Prussian state, censorship and possible arrest, important stops on his journey were Paris, Brussels and London. These cities shaped his political activities, his engagement with political fellow-travellers, as well as his intellectual development and thus his entire work.

At the click of a mouse, you can follow Marx as a migrant from city to city. You can not only immerse yourself in his time, but also discover that even today, traces of his life and work continue to be seen in Paris, Brussels and London.

Each station takes about 45 minutes.

Contact: info@marx200.org

Marx as a Migrant

  • London
  • Amongst Refugees

London, September 2017, 1 Leicester Street, in the nightlife district Soho

This is Leicester House. A French gourmet restaurant and four-star hotel where the least expensive room costs £300 a night. A placard on the facade commemorates that Johann Strauss lived here in 1838. The website also advertises with another guest: Karl Marx.

In March 1850 Marx and his family stay in the hotel for a few days. It was called the “German Hotel” back then. It has already been seven months since Marx’s arrival in London, on 26 August 1849. His three children, Helene Demuth and Jenny – in the late stages of pregnancy with their fourth child – followed him in mid-September.

The area was a veritable mecca for emigrants in these years – Marx and his family are just six among many.