Prior to World War II, the area which had been cleared by fire became an important site for the Nazi movement.

The area originally housed a tent encampment of the Reich Labor Service (RAD) and later the Hitler Youth (HJ).

At the outbreak of World War II, party rallies ceased and the compound was converted into a prisoner-of-war camp known as Stalag XIII-D, which housed up to 150,000 prisoners until closing in 1940.

During the Nuremberg trials 21 witnesses - members of the SS - were moved from the Palace of Justice to the camp on July 17, 1946.

The modern history of Langwasser begins with the decision of the city of Nuremberg to develop a planned community in the area marketed with the slogan "living in the country".