Nazi Party Rally Grounds in Nuremberg
Nazi Party Rally Grounds, Nuremberg, Germany – © David H. Enzel, 2024
Nazi Germany held huge party rallies in Nuremberg between 1933 and 1938. The former Nazi Party Rally Grounds in Nuremberg are the Federal Republic of Germany’s largest surviving assemblage of National Socialist government and party architecture. The remains of the huge structures convey the power of these propaganda events to this day. The grounds were designed by Hitler’s architect Albert Speer (1905-1981). Speer was found guilty of war crimes and crimes against humanity at the International Military Tribunal at Nuremberg. He was sentenced to 20 years in prison and was released in 1966.
Tribute Stand where Hitler gave his speeches, Nuremberg, Germany – © David H. Enzel, 2024
The Zeppelinfeld (in English: Zeppelin Field), shown above, consists of a large grandstand (Zeppelinhaupttribüne) with a width of 360 meters (390 yards) and a smaller stand. It was one of Albert Speer’s first works for the Nazi party and was based upon the Pergamon Altar in ancient Greece. Its square piers are inspired by the work of Franco-American architect Paul Philippe Cret (1876-1945). 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.
