The former Nazi Party Rally Grounds at Nuremberg’s Dutzendteich Lake has had an eventful history. First and foremost, it is marked by the partially extant monumental structures of the National Socialists, which were built after 1933. Nevertheless, it is still used today, as before 1933, as a local recreation area and event location. The DTM German Touring Car Championship and Rock im Park are the largest annual events.
Nuremberg’s dealings with the architectural relics of the Nazis were, for a long time, expedient: Much was torn down, some left to decay. Today, the city of Nuremberg has a new approach to the use of the remaining structures. In the coming years, a place of art and culture will emerge in the Congress Hall, the Zeppelin Field and Zeppelin Tribune will be developed into a place of learning and encounter, the March Field Station will be shaped into a worthy place of remembrance and the Documentation Center Nazi Party Rally Grounds will be expanded and receive a new permanent exhibit.
The city of Nuremberg thereby meets its responsibility to not forget its role during the time of National Socialism and provide important educational work to that end. Furthermore, with various cultural uses the city encourages a new participatory interaction with these monumental structures.
History of the Former Nazi Party Rally Grounds
The local recreation area around the Dutzendteich Lake in the southeast of Nuremberg was created in the 18th century; its development was further fostered by the founding of the “Dutzendteich Park AG” in 1823. In 1912, the area received a new and supra-regionally popular leisure attraction in the form of (at that time) the Nuremberg Zoo. With building of the City Stadium (today: Max-Morlock-Stadium) between 1925 and 1928, together with the Zeppelin Meadow, a major sport area was created.
After the so-called seizure of power in January 1933, Adolf Hitler decided to hold the yearly Nazi Party Rallies in Nuremberg the architect Albert Speer was given the task to reshape the Dutzendteich Park in accordance with National Socialist ideology and aesthetics. Speer’s design saw a reforming of the grounds, with a gigantic building program on more than 16 square kilometers of land serving as an expression of the Nazis claims of validity. Only a very small part of the plans were realized and used. Some structures were torn down after World War II, such as the Luitpold Arena or the towers and ramparts of the March Field.
After World War II, the city of Nuremberg could find no appropriate way to deal with the legacy of the National Socialists.
A first step towards a conscious confrontation with the grounds was the exhibit “Fascination and Terror”, which was opened in 1985 in the Zeppelin Tribune and was a catalyst for the permanent exhibit in 2001 in the Documentation Center Nazi Party Rally Grounds. In 2004, the guiding principles for the city of Nuremberg’s interaction with the former Nazi Party Rally Grounds were formulated. A responsible and critical confrontation was advanced by the international conference “ ‘Conservation or Deterioration?’ The Future of the former Nazi Party Rally Grounds in Nuremberg” (2011) and the Symposium “Preserved! To What End? Perspectives for the Zeppelin Tribune, Zeppelin Field and the former Nazi Party Rally Grounds” (2015).
“We live in a time in which there will soon be no more living eyewitnesses. Then we must rely on this building.”
Charlotte Knobloch, President of the Jewish Community Munich
Photo: © Henning Schlottmann / Wikimedia Commons
