Nuremberg, Germany, Nazi Party Rally Grounds

Tweet

Contrary to what many foreigners think Nürnberg (Nuremberg) is not only its Nazi past, but this is certainly part of its heritage. One way of dealing with it has been the construction of the Documentation Centre Nazi Party Rally Ground (aka Docu Centre). Hitler favoured Nürnberg for his annual Nazi Party Day (Reichsparteitag) because of its medieval history manifested in its castle dating back to the reign of Emperor Frederick Barbarossa. One of the Nazis’ obsessions was to return to the past and bring back the ancient German culture. Besides, pragmatic reason spoke for Nürnberg. It was situated in the centre of the German Reich and the NSDAP (Nazi Party) could rely on the support of the local strand of the party. The Congress Hall was planned for meetings of the NSDAP. Before the architects Ludwig and Franz Ruff concentrated on the building proper, 22.000 concrete pillars were rammed into the swampy ground. A self-supporting roof was meant to span the main hall at the height of 70m. The monumental building was planned for 50.000 people and would have been twice as big as the Colosseum in Rome. The rostrum for Hitler was to be placed in the middle, the grandstands were to be arranged facing it. The bare brickwork was erected between 1937 and 1939 up to a height of 39 m. When the war started, work was stopped. The unfinished Congress Hall is the most monumental remains of Nazi architecture in Germany. The remains you can see now are only about half the size the Congress Hall was meant to be. I’ve decided not to show a photo of this building but one of the Nazi party rally ground on the Zeppelin field where meetings took place. Looking at them gives me the creeps! All the photos one knows of party rallies with rows and rows and blocks and blocks of soldiers looking alive, listening enraptured to the Führer’s rantings and saluting were taken here. 200.000 (!) people could stand in the square, which was larger than twelve football fields. The permanent exhibition Fascination and Terror explains the beginning, the course and the end of the Fascist movement with photos, explanatory texts, sound recordings of contemporary witnesses and films trying to get to the *WHY?* as near as possible. I was especially fascinated by excerpts of the film ‘Triumph of the Will’ by Leni Riefenstahl which was shot during the 1935 party rally at the Zeppelin Field, a perfidious masterpiece. A voice from the off explains the technical tricks with which certain effects were reached. 170.000 people visit the Docu Centre every year. “Don’t mention the war” may be funny in the context of Fawlty Towers, but if it’s not polemics you’re after and you’ve got something intelligent to say, you’re welcome to do so. Only talking to each other helps. (Photo: Geschichte für alle eV)