Nazi party rally grounds
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Nazi party rally grounds (in German Reichsparteitagsgelände) is the name of a site in the southeast of Nuremberg (UGN: ), where the Nazi party rallies were held from 1933 until 1938. It includes the Congress Hall, the Zeppelin Field, the Märzfeld (March Field), the Deutsche Stadion (German stadium), the former Stadion der Hitlerjugend ("stadium of the Hitler Youth", today Frankenstadion) and the Große Straße ("great road"). The party grounds were planned by Hitler's first architect Albert Speer (except of the Congress hall, which was planned by Ludwig and Franz Ruff).
Today, the whole site serves as a memorial. Parts of the area are today used as the Norisring motor racing track.
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[edit] The buildings
[edit] Luitpoldarena
Since 1933 the parkway of the Luitpoldhain (literally translated: Luitpold grove) was replaced by a strictly structured deployment areal , the so called Luitpoldarena, with an area of 84,000 m². Opposite to the Ehrenhalle (Hall of Honour) a tribune was built. At the Ehrenhalle itself now primary a commemoration of the dead of the Hitlerputsch (Beer Hall Putsch) of 1923 took place. Tribune and hall were connected by a wide granite way.
In this area during the party convents the deployments of the SA and the SS with up to 150,000 people took place here. The central "relic" here was the "Blutfahne" (Blood flag), which was allegedly carried by the Beer Hall Putsch rebels and was soaked with the blood of one of them. At the Blutfahnenweihe (Blood flag consecration) new Standarten (flags) of SA- and SS-units were "consecrated" by touching their guidons with the Blutfahne.
[edit] Luitpold Hall
The Luitpold Hall (Luitpoldhalle) (built 1906) had an outline of 180 m x 50 m and provided place for up to 16,000 people. During the party convention the party congress took place here. The facade was changed in a monumental style.
[edit] Congress Hall
The Congress Hall (Kongresshalle) is the biggest preserved national socialist monumental building and is landmarked. It was planned by the Nuremberg architects Ludwig and Franz Ruff. It was planned as a congress centre for the NSDAP with a self-supporting roof and should have provided 50,000 seats. It was located on the shore of and in the pond Dutzendteich and marked the entrance of the rally grounds. The building reached a height of 39 meters (43 yards) (a height of 70 metres was planned) and a diameter of 250 meters (278 yards). The building is mostly built out of clinker, the facade was faced with granite-panels. Especially the outer facade is (amongst others) oriented at the Colosseum in Rome. The laying of the foundation stone was 1935. The building stayed unfinished, especially the roof is missing. The building with an outline of an "U" ends with two head-buildings (areal photo). Since 2000 in the northern of both buildings the documentation center "Faszination und Gewalt" (fascination and terror) is placed. In the southern building, the Serenadenhof, the Nürnberger Symphoniker have their domicile.
see also: Documentation Center Nazi Party Rallying Grounds
 Kongresshalle (Congress Hall) |
 Front of the Congress Hall, detail |
 Congress hall, Arcade walk |
 Documentation center |
 Documentation center |
[edit] Great Road (Große Straße)
The great road is almost 2 km (1.25 miles) long and 40 meters (44 yards) wide. It was intented to be the central axis of the site and a parade road for the Wehrmacht. It reached from the Congress Hall to the Märzfeld, the construction work was finished in 1939 (it has never been used as a parade road, because due to the beginning of World War II, the last rally was held in 1938). The pavement was made of granite in black and gray with edges of exactly 1.2 meters (1.3 yards). After the war, the road has been used as a temporary airfield for the US Army.
 Große Straße (Congress Hall in the background) |
[edit] Zeppelin Field
The Zeppelin Field (in German: Zeppelinfeld) is located east of the Great Road. It consists of a large grandstand (Zeppelinhaupttribüne) with a width of 360 meters (400 yards) and a smaller stand. It was one of Albert Speer's first works for the Nazi party and was based upon the Pergamon Altar.
In the 1970s, the pillars were removed. The rest of the stand is intact and used as the centerpiece of the Norisring motor racing track.
From 1947 to 1995 the Nurnberg American High School, a DoDDS facility, used the field (called 'Soldiers Field') for high school football and soccer.
 Zeppelinfeld, main tribune |
 Zeppelinfeld |
 A movie clip of the swastika on the grandstand being blasted after the war. |
[edit] German Stadium
Along with his plans for the Welthauptstadt Germania ("world capital Germania"), Albert Speer made the plans for the world's largest stadium which was to be located on the rally grounds. Derived from the Circus Maximus in Rome, it would have offered 400,000 seats.
In 1938, the construction began with the excavation. It was stopped in 1939, but during the whole war, the casting pit had to be kept dry from entering ground water. After the war, the northern half of the pit filled up with the water and is today called Silbersee (silver lake), the southern half was used to deposit the debris of the destroyed downtown Nuremberg.
see also: Deutsches Stadion
[edit] Märzfeld
The Märzfeld (March Field) was a representation and parade ground for the Wehrmacht. Its dimensions were 955 x 610 meters (1,061 x 677 yards). The construction began in 1938 and had never been finished, after the war, the accomplished constructions were demolished. Today, on this part of the site are apartment houses.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
