Contemporary Monument Concepts in Germany

An ideology set in stone – this was Hitler's understanding of the political and ideological function of the Nazi ceremonial and state buildings.

Berlin's Olympic site, which as the “Reichssportfeld” on the occasion of the Olympic Games in 1936 provided the stage for one of the greatest propaganda shows of the Nazi regime, was also intended in its entire layout and facilities to express the integral connection of sport and ideology. This representative building ensemble, the largest preserved example of Nazi monumental architecture, is now a troubled legacy with an eventful history. Since May 2006 this has been showcased in a documentary exhibition on the site.

Since 1945 the stadium has remained one of the most important venues in Berlin, offering an impressive stage to the Pope as well as to the Rolling Stones. At the latest, however, in the run-up to the World Cup 2006, for which the stadium has undergone major reconstruction, including an extension of the roof, based on a design by the architects of Gerkan, Marg and Partner (gmp), it became clear that the history of the architecture and the diverse historical strata of the terrain should be presented as a topic of discussion in the public domain – a concept which had been broached several times in the past but to no real avail. Since the beginning of May 2006, in the so-called Langemarckhalle, an exhibition compiled by Das Deutsche Historische Museum shows the history of the site's planning and architecture, the connection between sport and politics and the history of the venue's usage up to the present day. The hall with its looming Olympic Tower and the Olympic Bell was itself an integral component of the entire site, which with the stadium, its eastern foreground, the Maifeld and the Langemarckhalle is laid out on a monumental east-west axis. From within the stadium the tower can be seen through the stadium's open Marathon Gate. The hall was conceived as a memorial to one of the bloodiest battles of the First World War in Langemarck, Flanders, in 1914, where many German soldiers fell; their deaths were to be commemorated here in a “national consecration site” as the Nazi regime called it. During the last days of World War II the sports field itself became a devastating theatre of war.

Complex history

The history of the terrain is more complex than it seems at first glance. What appears as a building ensemble of one piece from the Nazi era actually consists of several overlays from different periods of time. As early as 1912 a “Deutsches Stadion”, designed by Otto March, was built on the site. From 1926-1933 and from 1933-1937, to the north of the old stadium, a “Deutsches Sportforum” was constructed in several building phases as a training and practice ground for the German sports associations. Otto March's sons, Werner March and his brother Walter provided the plans for this and were able, for example with the fair-faced concrete domed hall of the “Haus des deutschen Sports” from 1934-37, to present daring architectural constructions there. After the Olympic Games 1936 were awarded to Berlin in 1931, Werner March at first planned the conversion of the old stadium, but after 1933 Hitler commissioned the architect to build a completely new construction, which with the Maifeld and the Langemarckhalle was also to include the site for political mass rallies and the war memorial. March's stadium plan reflected the most modern tendencies of the time, inspired particularly by the Vienna Stadium of 1930. Yet March's plans were thwarted: probably due to Hitler's intervention and based on a design by Albert Speer, his steel skeleton construction was given that monumental stone casing, which despite the recent reconstruction work still dominates the character of the listed stadium. The Langemarckhalle had caught fire at the end of the war and in 1947 it was demolished by the British occupying forces. However, from 1960-62 it was rebuilt according to Werner March's plans, even including the looming Olympic Tower.



A further integral component in the overall design of the site is an extensive series of statues, including contributions from Arno Breker and Karl Albiker, who were among the most celebrated sculptors of the Nazi era. Yet here, too, the case is not as clear as it might seem. Whereas in the area surrounding the stadium mainly groups of heroic figures were placed, which seemed to correspond to the monumental character of the core terrain, on the northern border in the area around the swimming stadium and the sports forum a wider range of figurative sculptures from this era is to be found. Nevertheless, the sculptures have remained extremely controversial up to the present day and, not least in connection with the Football World Championship, have provoked a demand for discussion and commentary.

There the multimedia exhibition designed by Gerkan, Marg and Partner and the Berlin architect Winfried Brenne showcases the history of the construction and usage of the site, it focuses on the Olympic Games 1936 as well as on the questionable intertwining of sport and politics. The actual Hall of Honour on the top floor was for the most part left in its pervasive gloom and supplemented by the subject area “The Myth of Langemarck” as well as a presentation of the present-day usage. From the Olympic Tower one can view the entire terrain in its monumental dimension. It is here that one gains a sensuous overall impression, which is as essential for an understanding of the site as the historical information in the hall. Despite the peripheral location of the exhibition on the fringe of the grounds, the concept of the exhibition offers for the first time on the terrain itself a multi-facetted access to the discussion about this problematic place.

Publication accompanying the exhibition Rother, Rainer /Deutsches Historisches Museum: Geschichtsort Olympiagelände (Historical Venue Olympia Site)1909-1936-2006, Berlin, jovis Verlag 2006) Further literature Schäche, Wolfgang /Norbert Szymanski: Das Reichssportfeld. Architektur im Spannungsfeld von Sport und Macht, (The Reich Sports Field in the Conflict between Sport and Power) Berlin, be.bra Verlag 2001)