The former Nazi Party rally grounds are a massive complex of buildings, fields and stadiums which were constructed in the 30s as a place to house the annual party rallies, which brought hundreds of thousands of party members to Nuremberg. The style and scale of the grounds reflects Hitler's megalomania and the Nazi's strong use of symbolism. The grounds and buildings were never completed, however, as the beginning of the Second World War shifted resources elsewhere. Following the war, the Nazi imagery was removed, but the grounds remained largely intact. Over the years, the land was readopted as the city's recreational space (as it had been before the Nazis came to power). In the 70s, the land was placed under protection as a historical site, though the grounds are still used for a wide variety of recreational and commercial purposes. One of the most complete buildings, the congress hall, houses the Docu-Zentrum - the documentation center, a museum which covers the history of the Nazi party, especially focusing on Nuremberg's role in it.
I'll start things off with a tour of the Docu-Zentrum and then move onto the rally grounds.
Here is the Docu-Zentrum. The museum is embedded into the structure of the partially completed Congress Hall, a building built to house the annual party congress which took place during the rallies. The building is a horseshoe shape and would have been about 30 meters taller, had it been finished. The Congress Hall also houses a theater and the interior serves as a storage depot.
A sign in front of the Docu-Zentrum showing the proposed plan for the rally grounds. The Congress Hall is the horseshoe shaped building towards the bottom of the picture. If you click on the picture, you can read a description in English.
A satellite photo of Nuremberg, with the Altstadt and rally grounds highlighted. As you can see, the rally grounds are huge.
Modern picture of the rally grounds showing where structures were/would have been.
A pile of Reichmarks with absurd denominations created during the hyperinflation of the 30s.
Newspaper announcing the sentences for the Hitler Putsch (Beer Hall Putsch), Hitler's attempt to overthrow the Bavarian government in 1923. Hitler received 5 years in prison for this act of treason, which is a remarkably light sentence made possible by a sympathetic judge. Hitler served less than a year of this sentence.
A copy of Mein Kampf, which Hitler wrote while in prison. The book sold very well (it became a popular gift in the 30s) and Hitler became quite rich from the royalties. In Germany, you can only obtain a copy with special permission (for example, if you are writing a paper on the subject and a professor writes you a note).
A graph showing party representation in the German parliament in the 20s and 30s. The NSDAP (National Socialist German Workers Party) is on the bottom in black. The Nazis were able to seize power of the government in 1933 despite lacking a majority share of the seats.
Political posters for other political parties (Zentrum and KPD). The Zentrum (Center) poster says: "Brüning, the last bastion of freedom and order; truth, freedom, law." Note the Nazis and communists attacking the tower. The KPD (German Communist Party) poster says "get rid of this system".
Photo albulm showing Hitler and others at the rally grounds.
Chart explaining the identification patch system at concentration camps. top row: Political prisoner, career criminal, emigrant, Jehova's Witness, Homosexual, Asocial. left column: base color, insignia for recidivists, prisoner of the punishment battalion, insignia for Jews, special insignia: "race desecrator" male/female, escape risk, prisoner number, Pole, Czech, military dependant.
The system of concentration camps was set up after the Reichstag fire in 1933. They were originally used to house political prisoners, as the massive arrests following the fire quickly overwhelmed the prison system. Over the years, the definition of "political prisoner" expanded to include all sorts of people deemed by the government to be undesirable or problematic. The stones used to build the rally grounds were quarried by prisoners in some of the camps.
Nazi poster proclaiming Nuremberg as "the German City," using the city's former role as the seat of the Imperial Diets as a way to frame the city's centrality to National Socialism with anti-democratic undertones.
One of the more disturbing parts of the exhibit was a collection of anti-Semitic materials aimed at children, as well as drawings and writings done by children with strong anti-Semitic messages, obviously taught to them in school . Here is a watercolor made by a child. The sign says "Jews are unwanted in Brussreuth."
A board game about rounding up as many Jews as possible.
A children's school book talking about how to recognize Jews.
A newspaper displaying the verdict of the Nuremberg trials.
A panel listing all of the individuals tried at Nuremberg with the sentence they received and the sentence they served. Many individuals served only a fraction of their sentence as the division of Germany and the intensifying Cold War resulted in many pardons.
The partially completed interior of the Congress Hall, with a picture of what the final building was supposed to look like.
Moving on to the rally grounds...
The outside of the Congress Hall
Große Straße is a giant causeway running through the rally grounds that was designed for marches to show off Nazi military might.
The Congress hall from across Dutzendteich (the lake). The Ferris wheel is from a city fair that they were in the process of setting up for. Große Straße appears to serve as a parking lot for such events.
Große Straße, looking south towards where the marching grounds were supposed to be.
Große Straße from about 2/3 the way down, looking back towards the Congress Hall.
The Zepplin Field, the only structure that was actually finished, a giant stadium with seating for 200,000 people used to showcase mock military exercises or other large events. The stone buildings house restrooms.
The rostrum where Hitler sat. Earlier there were a lot more columns and swastikas. The road in front of the rostrum now is used as part of a road course.
The view from Silberbuck towards the city. Silberbuck is a hill created from the rubble cleared from the city after the war. The hill was built on the excavated foundation for what was to be the largest stadium in the world (at the time). Part of the foundation remains, though groundwater has filled it in, forming the pond you can sort of see through the trees in the picture. Thanks to runoff from Silberbuck, the pond water is poisonous.
Looking south off of Silberbuck, towards where the marching field and army encampment would have been. The space now houses giant warehouses and residential subdivisions.
That brings us to the end of this update, check back in a few more days for a tour of the Altstadt. As always, if you have questions on anything, please ask!
