World
Oskar Brüsewitz: 50 years since an East German pastor set himself on fire outside a church
On August 18, 1976, 47-year-old pastor Oskar Brüsewitz set himself on fire outside St Michael’s Church in Zeitz, in the German Democratic Republic. After arriving with placards protesting against the East German regime, he poured petrol over his clerical robe. Hundreds of people attended his funeral several days later. Accounts recorded after the event describe an otherwise ordinary final morning: he reportedly cut roses in his garden, requested a carefully prepared breakfast and asked his daughter to play his favourite piece on the piano. Die Zeit revisited the events on August 17, 2026, ahead of their 50th anniversary.