Earlier this month, the state of Bavaria promised to pay one-quarter of the remaining sum, as Deutsche Welle reported at the time. Officials have long grappled over what should be done with this dilapidated monument to Nazi supremacy. In , experts and citizens convened at a forum to discuss the issue, where some argued that the site should be maintained so that visitors will long be able to envision the pomp and circumstance that once fueled deadly ideologies on its grounds.
Such fears are not unfounded; earlier this year, torch-wielding members of a neo-Nazi group marched onto the rally grounds and posed on the Zeppelinfeld grandstand. The conservation project will involve, among other measures, installing ventilation systems to remove humidity from the interior of the structures and replacing stones in stairs and facades.
Even today, the remains of the huge structures they built bear witness to how these propaganda shows were staged. During the current remodeling of the Documentation Center, an Interim Exhibition provides a comprehensive picture of the history of the site and of the Nazi Party Rallies.
Signboards distributed around the Rally Grounds themselves — which spread across some 4 square kilometers, or 1. Please note: The former Permanent Exhibition is now closed. Evangelical preacher Billy Graham also used the field for a mass evangelization in Finding a practical use for the Zeppelin Field provoked little controversy for twenty years, but blowing up the colonnades on the Zeppelin Grandstand in sparked vehement debate.
The official reason for removing the colonnades was that they had fallen into disrepair. But some members of the public viewed it as an attempt to sweep a painful piece of history under the carpet. Opposition came from very diverse directions. The Nuremberg Motor Sports Club was worried about its seats in the grandstand; the National Democratic Party of Germany, which had members in the City Council at the time, wanted the site preserved as testimony to what it considered a "great era.
It was only motorcycles at first, but soon race cars were added. In any case, the Norisring race around the Zeppelin Grandstand has been held every year since Although certain permanent obstacles for the German Touring Car Masters' race now interfere with the historic sightlines, this first major event gets credit for the fact that the Zeppelin Field is no longer associated only with National Socialist history.
It is a popular meeting place for sports enthusiasts, who come to jog, inline skate, play soccer or learn to ride a bike. On July 1, , Bob Dylan contributed to a deliberate appropriation of the space for a completely different attitude. His first concert in Germany changed perceptions of the site, and ultimately paved the way for a number of other artists. Since that time, a positive, boisterous mood has less and less come to be seen as conflicting with a conscious effort to deal analytically with history.
The tradition of rock and pop concerts continues down to today, with the "Rock in the Park" festival. The Fascination and Terror exhibition that opened at the Zeppelin Grandstand in was a milestone in the critical confrontation with the Nazi Party Rally Grounds as a historic location.
Nevertheless, the first efforts to address the site's history left a somewhat under-prepared impression. The exhibit's hours were far too short, and the only source of information outside was a sausage vendor. Even though the exhibition was intended only to be provisional, it was steadily expanded and revised over the subsequent years. It continued to interest visitors from all over the world until The Documentation Center has now become an indispensable part of the itinerary for most visitors to Nuremberg.
Tourists from other countries are as frequent visitors as classroom groups. The attendance of , visitors a year that had originally been expected was exceeded long ago, with annual figures now reaching more than , For that reason, the building has been undergoing renovation since January The former permanent exhibition is closed.
An interim exhibition on the history of the Nazi Party Rallies is currently open in a separate hall. The Documentation Center is scheduled to reopen with a new permanent exhibition in late As they already were in the s and even before, the Nazi Party Rally Grounds are again a heavily frequented destination for excursions — and a popular photo opportunity.
Besides the desire to document one's own presence at the site, there is often an intent to use the Nazi structures as an extraordinary setting, whether for fashion or wedding photos, or for video clips. Another aspect of dealing with this area, besides understanding its history, is taking back possession of the site for a democratic society. Many Nuremberg residents have come to view the Rally Grounds merely as an important recreational area.
Leisure use has helped demystify the site and repossess it in a democratic spirit. General plan of the Nazi Party Rally Grounds page brochure , ca. A Recreation Zone Destroyed — Building the Nazi Party Rally Grounds According to Albert Speer's designs, an area measuring 11 square kilometers would be built up with imposing, monumental structures, all of them designed for mass events. Choose to Forget, or Find a Use?
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