It was a fire that helped Adolf Hitler consolidate his power in Nazi Germany – and the mystery of who started it has occupied historians for decades.
Dutch communist Marinus van der Lubbe, found guilty that day in 1933 of setting the Reichstag fire, was guillotined and buried in an unmarked grave.
Now, 90 years later, his presumed body has been exhumed – and experts are eagerly awaiting a pathologist’s report to see if the remains contain traces of toxins.
While most historians have long believed van der Lubbe was responsible for the fire, it may be that he was drugged by the Nazis, either to facilitate a truthful confession or to ensure he remained silent about possible co-conspirators.
Adolf Hitler, who had been Chancellor of Germany for less than a month when the Reichstag burned down, used the inferno as an excuse to seize dictatorial power in Germany and crack down on communists and other political enemies.
It has led some to speculate that the fire was a false flag operation to ensure Hitler was able to pull off his takeover, but others think it was sheer luck.
Dutch communist Marinus van der Lubbe, found guilty that day in 1933 of setting the Reichstag fire, was guillotined and buried in an unmarked grave. Above: Van der Lubbe in court during his trial (left); a monument commemorating van der Lubbe at the Südfriedhof in Leipzig. It was erected in 1999
The Reichstag fire on this day in 1933 helped Adolf Hitler consolidate his power in Nazi Germany
Van der Lubbe was executed on January 10, 1934 and then buried in the Südfriedhof in Leipzig.
A heavy stone was placed on his coffin. The tomb was opened once before, in 1953, and later a second coffin was placed on top of van der Lubbes.
In 2017, a regulation to ensure that the second coffin was not disturbed expired.
Since there had been a total of 35,000 unmarked graves in the area by then, it was unclear exactly where van der Lubbe was.
But Alfred Otto Paul, 70, the founder of the Paul Benndorf Society, an inheritance organization that maintains graves in Leipzig, used cemetery records and historical maps to narrow his location.
The body was exhumed on January 25 and it was quickly revealed that the person had been decapitated, suggesting it was van der Lubbe.
The main objective of the exhumation was to determine that the body was that of van der Lubbe and to properly mark his grave.
A spokesman for the Paul Benndorf Society told The Guardian that the body has since been identified “beyond a reasonable doubt” as belonging to van der Lubbe.
A pathologist is now examining the remains for toxins and the results are expected in a few weeks.
Adolf Hitler, who had been Chancellor of Germany for less than a month when the Reichstag burned down, used the inferno as an excuse to seize dictatorial power in Germany and crack down on communists and other political enemies. Above: Hitler with followers
Van der Lubbe is said to have gone from healthy and energetic to apathetic and unable to blow his nose. Above: The Dutchman at his trial
Van der Lubbe is said to have gone from healthy and energetic to apathetic and unable to blow his nose.
Journalists at the time of his trial suggested he could be given scopolamine, which has been dubbed a “truth serum” because of its alleged ability to trick those to whom it is given into divulging information.
Some believed that the Nazis used the Dutchman to cover up that they started the fire themselves, although there was never any evidence to prove this theory.
Today a delegation from the Netherlands commemorates van der Lubbe in Leipzig, whose remains have already been reburied.
A memorial stone will be placed on the grave at a later date.
In September 1933 the Chron reported how the German Ministry of Propaganda had claimed that van der Lubbe had been examined by a Swedish criminologist and a Dutch newspaper editor to ensure he had not been drugged while in detention.
Journalists at the time of his trial suggested he could be given scopolamine, which has been dubbed a “truth serum” because of its alleged ability to trick those to whom it is given into divulging information. Above: Van der Lubbe at his trial
Marinus van der Lubbe and his interpreter Meyer-Collings are in the process
Van der Lubbe insisted that he acted alone to inspire others to his cause and to revolt against “capitalist rule and fascist seizures of power”.
It added: “They are said to have received reasonable answers to their questions put to him and observed the remains of a luncheon of sandwiches and chocolate on his table.”
Most historians have long believed that van der Lubbe acted alone to start the Reichstag fire and that the timing was just very lucky for the Nazis.
The eminent British historian Richard Evans dismissed the idea of a Nazi conspiracy to start the fire as a “conspiracy theory”.
Van der Lubbe was the only person arrested in the burning Reichstag.
He repeatedly asserted in the weeks leading up to his execution that he acted alone to rally others to his cause and to rebel against “capitalist rule and the fascist seizure of power.”
A September 30, 1933 Chron news report of van der Lubbe’s trial showed him saying “yes” when asked if he was guilty of arson
However, Van der Lubbe had very poor eyesight, no apparent knowledge of the layout of the Reichstag and only a few simple charcoal lighters.
But the entire Reichstag hall remained a smoking ruin.
Historian Peter Black previously told The Smithsonian Magazine that the suggestion that van der Lubbe was solely responsible was wrong.
“I would say that based on the evidence now available, van der Lubbe could not have started the fire alone,” he said.
“It seems likely that the Nazis were involved. But you have nobody who can say: Yes, I saw the Nazis.’
The Reichstag in Berlin is on fire as German citizens look on. The fire was a political gift to Hitler
The uproar caused by the Reichstag fire, which was immediately blamed on the “enemy within”, enabled Hitler to be re-elected Chancellor.
The election had been called after the collapse of a short-lived coalition government led by Hitler. It happened just six days after the fire.
By this time, Hitler had persuaded German President Paul von Hindenburg to issue the Reichstag Fire Decree, which suspended civil liberties in Germany.
It led to mass arrests of communists, including all communist deputies in the Reichstag.
This then crippled communist participation in the elections and helped Hitler to victory.