Nazi Sights in Nuremberg, Germany

Party Rallying Grounds, Kongreßhalle, and Zeppelin Tribune, Nürnberg

Jan 8, 2008 Henk Bekker

Nuremberg, Germany is infamous for the Nazi Party rallies that were held here during the 1930s. The weeklong rallies were a mix of endless speeches, parades, a folk festival, sporting events, and military tattoos. The rallies were an opportunity for the Nazis to show of their might and to influence friends and foreign powers.

Why Nuremberg?

Nuremberg’s excellent railway links to the rest of Germany was probably the main reason for the Nazi Party’s decision to hold party rallies here in 1927 and 1929. Crowd trouble at the 1929 rally led to a ban on further rallies.

However, in 1933 the Nazis took power in Germany and soon after decided that annual party rallies would be held in Nuremberg. By then, the symbolic connection of Nuremberg to the old Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation was probably more important to the Nazis than the relatively easy transportation logistics.

• From 1933 to 1938, six Nazi Party rallies were held in Nuremberg. The 1939 rally with the motto “Party Rally for Peace” was scheduled to begin on September 2 but was cancelled without stating reasons on August 26.

The Nazi Party Rallying Grounds

In order to stage the annual rallies, the Nazis erected a huge complex of monumental buildings to the south of Nuremberg. This so-called Reichsparteigelände (Nazi Party Rallying Grounds) designed by Albert Speer was under construction, using mostly slave labor, as late as 1945.

• The Kongreßhalle (Congress Hall)

The largest construction surviving from the Nazi era is the Kongreßhalle (Congress Hall), which was to have seated 50,000. It was never completed although parts of the exterior are in as good a condition now as it was in the 1940s – it was built to last a thousand years…

• The Dokumentationszentrum (Documentation Center)

The Dokumentationszentrum Reichsparteitagsgelände (Documentation Center Nazi Party Rallying Grounds) is inside a small part of the Kongreßhalle. This very informative, if eerie collection of photos, video, audio recordings, and models give a very good overview of the party rallies as well as the Nazi regime.

• Visit this center first for an explanation of the rallies as well as of the lay of the land.

The Nazi Party rallies were a logistical nightmare – the last one was attended by 1.6 million. In the documentation center are priceless comments on the inadequate toilet facilities, attempts of senior party members to enter the red light districts, and complaints that bars playing dance music were better attended than those relaying Hitler’s speech.

The Documentation Center Nazi Party Rallying Grounds is open daily from 9 am (10 am on weekends) to 6 pm.

• The Große Straße (Great Road)

At the back of the Congress Hall is the Große Straße (Great Road), a 2 km (1.2 mile) long road build with 60,000 slabs of granite. This road was a central axis and in line with the Kaiserburg, once a premier residence of the Holy Roman Emperor.

• The American army used this road as a landing strip after the war. Currently most of it is used as parking lot for the nearby modern conference center and sports stadium.

• The Zeppelin Tribune

The Zeppelin Tribune is the main, 300 m (1,000 ft) long tribune from where Hitler addressed the party faithful. The main and side tribunes provided seating for 60,000 while the field itself had space for a further 100,000.

Transportation to the Nazi Party Rallying Grounds

The Nazi Party Rallying Grounds is to the south of Nuremberg’s old town but not within easy walking distance. It is easiest reached from the Hauptbahnhof (Main Station) on tram 6 or 9 – stop Dokumentationszentrum is directly in front of the Kongreßhalle.

• Nuremberg was one of the most important economic and political centers of Germany during the Middle Ages. Despite the air raids of 1945, the old town has several interesting sights including the Kaiserburg castle and the German National Museum.