One can see the Congress Hall on the former Nazi Party Rally Grounds from far away – and that although the round structure which reminds one of the Colosseum in Rome never reached its planned full height. As with many of the structures on the grounds, the Congress Hall was never completed.
Until now, large parts of the building were not accessible for visitors, but the planned “Enabling Spaces” for artists and the new music theater and dance venue for the Nuremberg State Theater will open the structure to visitors as the end of 2027. A first glimpse of what one can experience in the future in the Congress Hall is offered today by the various event formats in Segment #16.
The new image film provides information about the planned further development of the Nuremberg Congress Hall into a central location for art, culture and education. Prof Dr Julia Lehner, 2nd Mayor of the City of Nuremberg, explains the individual areas and their planned changes. Numerous animated images provide initial visual insights into how the Congress Hall will look and be used in the future.
History of the Congress Hall
In 1934, Adolf Hitler gave the Nuremberg architect Ludwig Ruff the contract to design a meeting place for the party congress of the National Socialist German Workers Party, which took place annually during the Party Rallies. At the Party Rally a year later, the cornerstone was laid for a hall which would offer space to 50,000 people. When the war began, work on the Congress Hall was stopped and never restarted; the Congress Hall remains an unfinished shell.
The northern and southern head-end structures were almost completed. From the planned five stories of the circular structure (which would have had a height of ca. 70 meters), three stories (with a maximum height of just under 40 meters) were completed. The meeting space within the walls was to be covered with a roof, the construction of which was never begun. What today looks like an interior courtyard was to be the meeting space of the building. The existing structure was intended to serve as a gigantic stairwell with cloakrooms and sanitary facilities.
After World War II, the structure was used for exhibits: In 1949, the first German Building Exhibition took place here; a year later an exhibit celebrating the 900th anniversary of the city of Nuremberg. The Nuremberg Symphony Orchestra moved into the southern head-end structure as early as 1963; the northern head-end structure was first used in 2001 for the Documentation Center Nazi Party Rally Grounds. Other spaces within the Congress Hall were leased and used until the 2010s as storage space.
Development of the Congress Hall
The idea to use the Congress Hall – which has been protected as a historical monument since 1973 – for cultural activities emerged as part of Nuremberg’s bid for the title of European Capital of Culture 2025. It was planned to develop four of the 16 partial segments of the Congress Hall into atelier and practice space for artists of all types as well as presentation rooms for visual art, music, theater and dance. The concept for the “Enabling Spaces” was deepened and made more concrete in close exchange with artists.
In 2021, it became clear that the opera house on Richard-Wagner-Platz in Nuremberg had to be renovated. In a broad-based participatory process, it was decided that the venue for music theater and dance of the Nuremberg State Theater would be moved to the Congress Hall during the years of reconstruction. As a performance space with auditorium, stage, orchestra pit, side stages and practice rooms, an auxiliary structure would be created in the so-called “inner courtyard” of the Congress Hall. The functional space for the daily operation of the theater will be located in six segments of the circular structure.
The “Enabling Spaces” and the venue for music theater and dance wish to create a place of encounter and creative exchange together with the Documentation Center Nazi Party Rally Grounds and the Nuremberg Symphony. A diverse event program will welcome the public to visit the Congress Hall during the 2028/29 season.
„When one comes to grips with the Congress Hall, then only with art and education. Art should give an answer to this place.“
Rachel Salamander, Publicist | Photo: © Stephan Rumpf
