Nazi Party rally grounds

'Reich Party Congress Grounds') covered about 11 square kilometres (1,100 ha) in the southeast of Nuremberg, Germany.

[1] The Party Congresses (Reichsparteitage) were a self-portrayal of the NS-state and had no programmatic task, simply demonstrating the unity of the nation.

In a propagandistic way a relation was to be drawn between the Nazi movement and the glory of the medieval emperors and the meetings of the Imperial Estates which had been held in Nuremberg in the Middle Ages.

The Kongresshalle, Zeppelinfeld, and the Große Straße have been protected monuments since 1973 as significant examples of Nazi Party architecture.

All fourteen pylons remain virtually intact and have not been ignited since the final Nazi party rally in September 1938.

Its monumental neo classic facade featured a shell limestone facing with three enormous entrance portals.

It was in this building during the party congress of 1935, that the Nuremberg laws were adopted which deprived German Jews and other minorities of their citizenship.

The Congress Hall (Die Kongresshalle) is the biggest preserved national socialist monumental building and is landmarked.

Since 2001, the Dokumentationszentrum Reichsparteitagsgelände (Documentation Center of the Nazi Party Rally Grounds), with the permanent exhibition Faszination und Gewalt (Fascination and Violence), has been located in the northern wing.

Near the entrance area of the German Stadion a grandstand with a hall of pillars was planned for the government leaders and generals which were to take the salute on Wehrmacht formations which were to march in direction of the parade ground Märzfeld.

[5] The grandstand is famous as the building that had the swastika blown from atop it in 1945, after Germany's fall in World War II.

The name "Zeppelinfeld" or "Zeppelinwiese" refers to the fact that in August 1909 Ferdinand Graf von Zeppelin landed with one of his airships (LZ6) in this location.

In 1967, the city authorities blew up the grandstand's double row of pillars, causing severe damage to the rest of the building.

After years of neglect the damage due to erosion and dampness was severe, made worse by the poor quality of the initial construction.

In 2019, an 85 million euros plan to conserve what remained of the stadium and make it accessible to visitors was announced, with a target completion date of 2025.

Derived from the Panathenaic Stadium of Athens,[7] it would have offered 400,000 seats in a horseshoe shape; planned dimensions: length: 800 m, width: 450 m, height: 100 m, building area 350,000 m2.

The Märzfeld (literally: March Field, relating to the Roman god of war, Mars) was to be a representation and parade ground for the Wehrmacht.

The name of the huge deployment area was supposed to recall the recovery of military sovereignty of the German Reich in March 1935.

Today the site is occupied by a residential district, Langwasser, which also extends to the south, into the area previously used for tent cities during the party rallies.

In wooden exhibition halls regional products were presented and recreational events were held during the party congresses.