Calls to have the Nuremberg rally ground restored and made into a permanent memorial and reminder of the evil of Nazism have been raised by locals in Nuremberg. The cost of the renovations could exceed 70 million Euros and would have to be paid by the German taxpayer.
Locals are divided.
Since the end of World War Two the rally ground has lain empty and deserted, but certain areas are open to the public so they can see the extremism of the Nazi regime. The grounds are the largest concentration of Nazi buildings in one place.
Watch the Swastika being blown from the top of the grandstand:
Nuremberg is a city in Germany’s south eastern state of Bavaria, around 170kms north of Munich. In the 1930s this area was Nazi country. Huge rallies and marches were held in the area in the very beginnings of Nazism.
The Nuremberg Nazi party rally grounds were developed in the late 1920s and early 30s. The grounds are the largest concentration of Nazi buildings in one place. By 1933 the largest of the Nazi party congresses was held there. Hitler called it the ‘Reichsparteitag des Sieges’ or Reich Party Congress of Victory.
Throughout the 1930s the party held six congresses at the rally grounds. Thousands attended and the images have become infamous showing Hitler’s egotism at its highest peak, as his party members treated him like a movie star, waving, cheering and devoting themselves to the Nazi cause, the Mail Online reports.
When it was built, Hitler said it would last for more than 1000 years. Tens of thousands would march in choreographed sequences.
Today it is a sad reflection of decay and desolation, empty and devoid of life it is a far cry from what Hitler had intended it to be. Now some members of the Nuremberg city council are calling for the ruins to be renovated. They say there are two choices – to renovate and repair the site, or to let it continue falling into disrepair.
If the structure remained, many areas would need to be closed off and it would still need constant funding for management, basic up-keep and security. But many say that if the structure remains it will become a centre for worship and pilgrimage for new-Nazis.
Ulrich Maly, the mayor of Nuremberg, will be approaching Germany’s federal government for the funds to renovate the site.The locals are only too aware of the value of the site for the local economy since it brings in around 200,000 people for guided tours of the site, plus more for those who visit of their own accord every year.
Nuremburg Rally 1938 in color:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ceLnMT0rps