Friedrichsruh 2015 – Otto-von-Bismarck Stiftung – Ludwig Sand in prison

Ludwig Sand murdered the conservative playwright August von Kotzebue in 1818. Von Kotzebue was against liberalism and German nationalism. He mocked the German student associations. The radical student Ludwig Sand found it necessary to murder Von Kotzebue. Before murdering the playwright, he took part in the Wartburg Festival, during which books were burnt which were not to the liking of the students.

Prison life was not so bad for Sand, but he was executed for murder nevertheless. He was venerated as a hero by German nationalists and students. His grave can still be found in Mannheim.

After the murder, the Austrian Chancellor Von Metternich called a meeting of the German states and it resulted in the Carlsbad Decrees, which increased censorship of the press, removed liberal professors and banned nationalist fraternities.