A larger than life statue of Communist philosopher Karl Marx will soon be unveiled on the 200th anniversary of his birth in the western German town of Trier.

Saturday's celebratory uncovering of the 4.4-meter (14-foot) statue of Marx, donated by China, has sparked criticism by some who blame Marx for crimes committed by social revolutionaries in Russia, China and elsewhere in the name of Communism.

The city has invited about 200 guests for the anniversary celebrations.

Marx laid the philosophical foundations for Communism, an ideology that aims for shared ownership of the means of production and the absence of social classes.

The revolutionary thinker was born in Trier on May 5, 1818 and lived there until he was 17 years old. He died in London in 1883.