Olympic Stadium, Berlin
From Freepedia
The Olympiastadion is a stadium in Berlin. There have in fact been two stadia on the site, the present facility, and one that was built for the aborted 1916 Summer Olympics, both of which were designed by members of the same family, Otto March and his son Werner March.
Because of the 1936 Summer Olympics and his own political plans, Hitler's National-Socialism built into the Olympiastadion surroundings the massive Olympischer Platz. During the war all the buildings suffered little damage. And, after the defeat of the dictator, the United Kingdom military occupation used it as its headquarters until 1994.
Besides its use as an Olympic stadium, the Olympiastadion has a strong footballing tradition. Historically, it's the ground of club Hertha BSC of Berlin. Also, it was used for 3 matches in the 1974 Football World Cup. It will host six matches in the 2006 Football World Cup, and was remodelled for that reason. The stadium is particularly controversial, it is assumed that it is the stadium that the National Socialsm built, and where Adolf Hitler in person did vanity of his political projects in 1936.
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Quick Facts
| Address | Olympischer Platz |
| Location | Charlottenburg, Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf, Berlin, Germany |
| Structural Type | Horizontal cantilever structure |
| Initial construction (1934-1936) | Architect Werner March |
| Reconfiguration (1974) | Architect Friedrich Wilhelm Krahe |
| Geotechnical engineering | GuD Consult GmbH |
| Renovation (2000-2004) | von Gerkan, Marg und Partner Arcadis Deutschland GmbH; Krebs und Kiefer Beratende Ingenieure für das Bauwesen GmbH; Riedel und Gastmeyer Partnerschaftsgesellschaft; Schlaich, Bergermann und Partner sbp gmbh; Walter Bau AG |
| Dimensions | seats 75.000 (2004: 76.000), germany's largest arena; circumference 840 m |
1916 to 1934. Deutsches Stadion, old Olympiastadion.
In 1916 the city of Berlin was designated by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to receive the 1916 Summer Olympics. The projected stadium by Germany for this event would be located in some lands, located in Charlottenburg (Grunewald Forest, to the west of Berlin). There, a horse racing-course was functioning, belonging to the Berliner Rennverein (of which even today the old huts that sold the tickets, in the Jesse-Owens-Allee street are conserved.) The government of Germany decided to leave all this enviroment untouched in the operation, besides ordering to keep Grunewald as it was, a forest. With all this in mind, they hired the same architect who originally had built the "Rennverein", Otto March.
March decided to submerge the stadium in the floor ("earth stadium"). And the project became the biggest sports stadium in the world up till then, with capacity for 40,000 spectators.
But finally the Olympic Games of 1916 were cancelled, due to the First World War. After this conflict, in lathe of the Stadium was founded a school dedicated to the instruction of professors of physical education, and sport investigations. To build the "Deutsches Sportforum" (German Sportforum), that was an amplification of these institutions, Otto March's children, Werner and Walter were assigned in 1926 (to 1929). But the construction was intermittent, because the project had few economic resources.
1936. Olympischer Platz, sportfield of the Reich.
In 1931, the International Olympic Committee granted Berlin the organization of the 11th 1936 Summer Olympics.
Originally, the German government decided to (only) restore the same Olympiastadion (German Stadium) of 1916. And Werner March was ordered (one more time) to do this.
When the National-Socialists captured the government of Germany (1933), they decided to use the Olympic Games as one of their World propagandistic projects (commanded by their Minister of Propaganda Joseph Goebbels). In this way they would demonstrate the Nazi theories of Aryan racial superiority. With these plans in portfolio, the government of chancellor Adolf Hitler ordered the construction in Grunewald of a great sports complex, named the Olympischer Platz, with a totally new Olympiastadion. Architect Werner March continued in charge, assisted by his brother Walter March.
The building took place from 1934 to 1936. When the Olympischer Platz was finished, it was 132 hectares big (326 acres), and had a symmetrical layout. It consisted of (east to west): Olympiastadion, Maifeld field (capacity of 500,000) and Waldbühne amphitheater (capacity of 25,000), besides other 150 buildings (for different sports: swimming, horsemanship, hockey).
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Olympiastadion
Over the original Deutsches Stadion, Werner March built the new Olympiastadion once again buried 12 meters under the floor (with half of the structure sunken down).
As was planned by the Third Reich, the usable capacity of the Olympiastadion reached 110,000 spectators. And possessed a VIP stand for Adolf Hitler and his political fellows.
In the end, aligned with the designed symmetrical layout of the buildings of the Olympischer Platz, and toward the Maifeld, was the "Marathontor" (Maratón Arch), with a big receptacle for the Olympic Fire.
Maifeld Field
Maifeld (Field of May) was created as a huge area of grass (112,000 square meters, 28 acres), for gymnastic demonstrations. The plan of the government of Hitler was (specifically) to annually celebrate the 1st of May day.
The Maifeld was surrounded by land elevations of 19 meters (62 feet). Although the Olympiastadion (at the east) was at only 17 meters (55 feet) high !!!
The total capacity could reach 250,000 people. 60,000 in the large tribunes extended in the west end. Where also was the Langemarck-Halle (under) and the Glockenturm (rising high).
While the walls were decorated with sturdy stone from the area of the Lower Alps, were also sculptures representing horses (work of Josef Wackerle).
During the Berlin 1936, the Maifeld was used for the polo events and several allegorical Nazi gymnastic acts.
Glockenturm, the Tower of the Bell
This tower crowned the western end of the Reichs Sportfield, planted amid the tiers of the Maifeld tribunes. And was very high: 77 meters (247 feet). From its peak could be observed the whole city of Berlin. During the games was used as observation position by the official services of administration, police, doctors and the media.
Up there, also was the Olympic Bell. In its surface, the Nazi regime draw engravings of the five Olympic Rings, a motto ("I summon the youth of the world Olympic Games 1936"), the Brandenburg Gate and an Eagle. [1]
The Langemarck-Halle
Consisted of huge halls built under the tribunes of the Maifeld. Pillars were rised, of which hanged flags and shields commemoratives of all the forces that participated in a battle during the First World War. Fought in Langemarck (West Flanders, Belgium), in November 10, 1914.
Waldbühne, the Forrest Theatre
The Waldbühne was built by using the glacial river banks of the Berlín Urstromtal. Reproduction of the old theater of Epidaurus (3rd century BC). The theater was then named "Dietrich-Eckart-Bühne", in homage to Dietrich Eckart.
The tribunes for 22,000 spectators goes down to a depth of 30 meters (97 feet), in the middle of what was the seat to Adolf Hitler. The surroundings were ornamented with statues, of Adolf Wamper.
During the Olympiads, in the Waldbühne were carried out the gymnastics competitions and a myriad of cultural programs.
Berlin, 1936 Summer Olympics.
In August 1 of 1936, the Olympics were officially inaugurated by the Chancellor Adolf Hitler, and the Olympic Flame was lit by the athlete Fritz Schilgen.
While the Olympic Flame had been used for the first time in Amsterdam 1928; in Berlin 1936 the marathonical trip of the olympic torch was introduced. From Olympia in Greece, crossing 6 frontiers with a journey of 3000 km to Berlin, through Greece, Bulgaria, Yugoslavia, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, Austria and Germany. The original idea of this Olympic torch relay was of Carl Diem, who was a notorious political advisor in Germany, specialising in Olympic affairs.
In all the events of the 1936 Summer Olympics, 4,000,000 tickets were sold. This was also the first Olympic transmission with television (with 25 giant screens scattered all over Berlin), and radial transmissions in 28 languages (with 20 radio vans and 300 microphones).
In the sport competitions, the most remembered event was the great performance of the track and field African-American athlete, Jesse Owens. Representative of United States of America. Owens obtained the gold medal in 4 categories (100-meter dash, 200-meter dash, long jump and 4X100 meter relays). Comically, Adolf Hitler retired angered in (at least) one of Owens' victories. And to complicate the things even more, after the long jump events, Luz Long himself (one of the athletes more publicised by the Nazi régime) celebrated the victory of Owens [2]. But historically the most important thing was the humiliation of the Nazi dreams of racial superiority.
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1939 to 1945. Second World War.
The Olympiastadion was one of the few buildings that survived not just recognizable, but almost untouched after the Second World War. It only suffered impacts of machine gun shots.
The most notorious battle around the Olympiastadion, was in April 1945 when the Russian army fought to capture it. This was when the great final battle of Second World War, with the total invasion of Berlin as the Allieds target.
In his last moves, Adolf Hitler called a "Volkssturm" (Popular Storm): the recruitment of all the German males from 16 to 60 years old, to add six millions more of combatants. This resulted in a rottenly prepared army of almost "partisans" (though they were not this by definition, because they weared a military armlet).
One of the members of the Volkssturm was the Hitler Youth. Of which the political leadership was taken by Carl Diem (one of the sports adviser of Hitler) and Arthur Axmann. When the Soviet army had already taken the Olympitzer Platz, and knowing the terrain because his political activities, Diem called for the reconquering of the facilities, offering those to Hitlers honor [3]. Eventually, the Hitler Youth suffered 2000 deaths in this sterile attempt.
The only part of the Olympischer Platz that resulted destroyed was the Glockenturm Tower. The Third Reich used this place store archives (in example, films). When the Soviet troops entered in Berlin, all the contents were set on fire and the tower became a real chimney. The structure finished very weakened. In 1947 British engineers demolished it definitively. The Olympic Bell (that was up there, in its place) fell 77 meters and cracked. Although, later in 1956 it was "rescued"... and then used as practice target for shootings with anti-tank ammunition. Cracked and unable to sound (because of this), it survived to our days.[4]
1945 to 1994. Occupied Berlin
After the war, the Olympischer Platz was used as headquarters by the Great Britain's military ocupation forces.
The British forces settled in the places built by the March siblings (back in the 1920s). That the Third Reich had used for official sport organisms (like the Reichs Academy of Physical Training and the House of German Sport).
Soon the Occupation started a careful reconstruction of the general facilities, to quickly use these again.
Since then, up to 1994, the British forces celebrated annually in the Maifeld the British Sovereign day; with thousands of spectators from Berlin.
During these years, in the Olympiastadion Bundesliga matches were played by the Hertha Berlín team. In the Maifeld, also several competitions of soccer, rugby and polowere staged.
In the summers, the Waldbühne resumed its concerts of classical music, as well the projection of movies. The theatre was also famous since was used as an improvised ring for boxing matches.
The restoration of the "Glockenturm" was carried out among 1960 to 1962, once again by the architect Werner March. The new tower became an important tourist destination, with a magnificent panorama in the height of Berlin, Spandau, the Havel Valley, Potsdam, Nauen, and Henningsdorf.
Football World Cup 1974
In the Olympiastadion were disputed some matches of the Group A, of the FIFA World Cup ´74. Between the representatives of West Germany, Chile, East Germany and Australia.
| Team | Pts | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Image:East Germany flag.png East Germany | 5 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 3 |
| Image:Germany flag large.png West Germany | 4 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 3 |
| Image:Chile flag 300.png Chile | 2 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | -1 |
| Image:Australia flag large.png Australia | 1 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 5 | -5 |
June 14, Olympiastadion, Berlin - Image:Germany flag large.png West Germany 1 - 0 Image:Chile flag 300.png Chile
June 14, Volksparkstadion, Hamburg - Image:East Germany flag.png East Germany 2 - 0 Image:Australia flag large.png Australia
June 18, Volksparkstadion, Hamburg - Image:Germany flag large.png West Germany 3 - 0 Image:Australia flag large.png Australia
June 18, Olympiastadion, Berlin - Image:East Germany flag.png East Germany 1 - 1 Image:Chile flag 300.png Chile
June 22, Olympiastadion, Berlin - Image:Australia flag large.png Australia 0 - 0 Image:Chile flag 300.png Chile
June 22, Volksparkstadion, Hamburg - Image:East Germany flag.png East Germany 1 - 0 Image:Germany flag large.png West Germany
1994 to 2005
In 1998 a debate was unleashed among the society in Berlin, about the destiny of the Olympiastadion, due to the disastrous historical legacy that it represented for Germany (now democratic).
For example, "some wanted to tear the stadium down and build to new one from scratch, while others favoured letting it slowly crumble like the Coliseum in Rome". [5]
Finally, was decided to renovate the Olympiastadion. And, also, FIFA appointed it as one of the locations of the Football World Cup 2006. The State of Berlin finally hired the company WALTER BAU-AG vereinigt mit DYWIDAG. It took charge of the operation of the facilities (together with HERTA BSC and the Government from Berlin). Although the company also contributed (for franchise award) with EUR 45 million, of the works.
In July 3 of 2000, began the works of renovation and amplification. With a ceremony presided by the Chancellor Gerhard Schröder. Accompanied by Eberhard Diepgen (Berlin Mayor), Franz Beckenbauer and Prof. Dr. Ignaz Walter.
Technical details
70,000 cubic metres (2.5 million cu. ft.) of concrete and 20,000 cubic metres (700,000 cu. ft.) of pre-cast reinforced concrete elements were use. 12,000 cubic metres (424,000 cu. ft.) of concrete was demolished and removed and 30,000 cubic metres (1.1 million cu. ft.) of natural stone was refurbished.
The roof was extended, to cover a total of 37,000 square metres. With 20 roof-supporting columns carrying a weight of 3,500 tones of steel.
With the intention to create a more intimate atmosphere for football games, the playing field was lowered (even more) by 2.65 metres (9 feet); approximately 90,000 cubic metres (3.2 million cu. ft.) of sand was excavated. The lower tier of seating in the stadium was demolished and rebuilt at a completely different angle of inclination.
The conservation factor of the Olympiastadion as a historical monument was also considered. Especially about the preservation of the natural stone blocks. Deserving a separate comment, the critics caused the change of the colour of the carpet for the athletics around the game field from red to blue.
The renovation
Among 31th July 2004 to 1st August 2004, were carried out the inauguration celebrations of the new Olympiastadion. On that Saturday, the party began with the performance of the pop-stars Pink and Nena (99 Red Ballons). And of Daniel Barenboim. It culminated at night, with the opening ceremony.
On the second day friendly matches were played, with different categories of the club Hertha BSC and other visitor teams. And on September 8 2004, Brazil confronted Germany.
The new Olympiastadion of Berlin, resulted with capacity of 76,000 seats, which made it the biggest stadium in Germany.
The roof rises 68 meters over the seats, and is made up of transparent panels that assure great brightness. With a picturesque detail, the western portion (on the Marathon Arch) is open to reveal the "Glockenturm" to the assistants.
Also, the Olympiastadion was equipped with the latest technology in artificial illumination and sound equipment. And it now has 113 VIP stands, a set of restaurants and two underground garages (for 630 cars).
The total cost of the remodeling and amplification is generally qualified as "not expensive": EUR 242 million.
Current Usage
- Herta BSC Berlin, plays it's DBF-Bundesliga matches. Historical local team.
- Ladies DBF-Cup, since 1985.
- ISTAF, annualy as part of the Golden League in athletics.
- Berlín Thunder, NFL Europe (American Football) club.
FIFA World Cup 2006
Scheduled Matches
| FIFA Day | Match | Round | Team 1 | Team 2 | Destination | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13.06 Tue | 11 | Group matches | F1 | Vs. | F2 | Rounds of Sixteen |
| 15.06 Thu | 20 | Group matches | B4 | Vs. | B2 | Rounds of Sixteen |
| 20.06 Tue | 33 | Group matches | A4 | Vs. | A1 | Rounds of Sixteen |
| 23.06 Fri | 48 | Group matches | H2 | Vs. | H3 | Rounds of Sixteen |
| 30.06 Fri | 57 | Quarter finals | W49 (WA-RB) | Vs. | W50 (WC-RD) | Semi Finals (61, Dortmund) |
| 09.07 Sun | 64 | Final | W61 | Vs. | W62 | World Champion |
Political considerations.
The Olympiastadion was designated to play the final match of the FIFA World Cup 2006.
And this will take place exactly 70 years after the 1936 Summer Olympics.
Peter Steinhorst, chief technician on the project, said to the BBC: "Whenever you enter, you will still know this was the site of the 1936 Games. You will pass all the old Nazi sculptures". [6]
"The history is there, the totality of the buildings is there. The whole Nazi landscape has not disappeared", added the sports sociologist Guenter Gebauer. "There are towers like in a fortress, and people who come will always ask where the Fuehrer sat.". [7]
The Interior Germany's Minister Otto Schilly, who attended the opening party, concluded: "The stadium recalls the dark elements present in its creation. But in 2006 the world will look upon to modern, democratic, and open Germany". [8]
Trivia
- In January 9, 2002, workers of the construction found a bomb remaining under a seat from the Second World War. It was detonated outside of the Olympiastadion, by the police of Berlin. [9]
- One of the street in the surroundings, takes Jesse Owens' name.
- Between 1951 to 2005, the Olympitzer Platz had a giant antenna, transmitting for all the portable radios in Berlin.
Links
Site of HERTA BSC football club
| Olympic Stadia |
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Categories: Nazi architecture | German football grounds | Athletics stadia in Germany | Olympic stadiums | American football venues in Germany | Berlin | FIFA World Cup stadiums | Germany buildings and structures stubs
