What better way to honor the founder of communism on the 200th anniversary of his birth than by shamelessly merchandising his likeness?
That’s exactly how the city of Trier, Germany is commemorating cashing in on this historic anniversary, which is certain to bring about a resurgence of interest in Marx’s legacy and a flock of tourists to the city (especially considering how popular socialism is with the young and hip these days).
As tourists flock to the city for Marx-themed events, it will be selling various Marx-themed knicknacks like rubber ducks bearing Marx’s signature beard and “zero euro” notes bearing Marx’s likeliness (remember, according to Marx’s theories, both money and the state would be abolished once communism had been achieved).
And here is just the kind of capitalism that would get ole’ Karl spinning in his grave: the price for the zero-euro notes? Three euros.
“The souvenir plays on Marx’s criticism of capitalism and of course the 0-euro note fits perfectly with Marx as a motif,” said Norbert Kaethler, managing director of Triers’ tourism office, per Reuters.
So far, the office has old more than 5,000 of the notes, and has plans to print 20,000 more. Marx was born in Trier in the year 1818.
The city has also altered several traffic signals to feature Marx, who missed the invention of the first automobile by two years (Marx died in 1883).
But perhaps the biggest project is a three-tonne bronze statue of Marx that will be unveiled this year.
The gift to the city was paid for by the Chinese government, which started the process of abandoning communism as an economic system (though it has held on to some of its other vestiges) shortly after the death of its founder, Mao Zedong.
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