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All Germany Nuremberg The Kongresshalle, Nuremberg

The Kongresshalle, Nuremberg

This abandoned coliseum was intended to be a grand Nazi rallying ground before it was halted at the end of the war.

Nuremberg, Germany

Added By
Edmund Richardson
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The Kongresshalle.   Wikimedia
The Kongresshalle.   Wikimedia
Aerial view of the Kongresshalle.   Nicohofmann on Wikimedia
  bengarrett77/Flickr
  raffikatt/Flickr (used with permission)
  petrolwife / Atlas Obscura User
  petrolwife / Atlas Obscura User
  epfromer / Atlas Obscura User
  breaingram / Atlas Obscura User
  breaingram / Atlas Obscura User
The Kongresshalle sits in the middle of the beautiful Dutzendteich Park.   JamazingClayton / Atlas Obscura User
The Documentation Center Museum attached to the Kongresshalle.   JamazingClayton / Atlas Obscura User
An exhibit to commemorate victims of the concentration camps inside the Kongresshalle.   JamazingClayton / Atlas Obscura User
The empty insides of the Kongresshalle.   JamazingClayton / Atlas Obscura User
View of the Kongresshalle across the Dutzenteich pond.   JamazingClayton / Atlas Obscura User
Panoramic view inside   Byrdmouse / Atlas Obscura User
  shaw95 / Atlas Obscura User
  shaw95 / Atlas Obscura User
  Siris / Atlas Obscura User
  mordekia / Atlas Obscura User
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About

The Kongresshalle looms over Nuremberg like a misplaced relic of ancient Rome. Designed by Franz and Ludwig Ruff in 1935, it was to have been the centerpiece of the vast Nazi party rally grounds, flanked by triumphal parade-grounds and stadiums.

Once designs for the structure were complete, construction was started in earnest and on a vast scale: the completed Kongresshalle would have seated 50,000. One of the centerpieces of Hitler's fantasy of a thousand-year Reich, its colonnades and layers of archways were designed to echo the Coliseum in Rome - another symbol of an empire triumphant.

The Second World War diverted attention away from the project, and the Kongresshalle was never completed. The building only reached about half its planned height of 70 meters . Much of the interior was Kongresshalle survived the war - and it was landmarked in its half-built state.

Today, the edifice houses the Documentation Center Museum. In addition to the history of the site (both the Kongresshalle and the surrounding rally grounds), the museum chronicles the rise of the Nazi party, the lead-up to World War II and the devastation of the conflict up to the aftermath reckoning of the Nuremberg Trials.

Through artifacts, original documents, and audiovisual media, the Center's permanent "Fascination and Terror" exhibit brings visitors closer to the horrifying reality of the Third Reich and culminates in a panoramic view over the Kongresshalle from an unnerving suspended platform.

Related Tags

Dictators Nazis Ruins Abandoned World War Ii Military

Know Before You Go

The nearest regional train station is Nürnberg-Dutzendteich (S-Bahn 2). Trams (6 and 9) and buses (36, 55 and 65) will also take you to the Doku-Zentrum stop which is right outside the Kongresshalle and the Documentation Center Museum.The Documentation Center Museum is open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mondays to Friday and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at weekends. Though the museum is suitable for everyone, visitors should be aware that the exhibit does contain distressing content. The remnants of the rest of the Nazi party rally grounds—including the "Great Road" and the Zeppelin Field—are also mostly accessible to the public and can be found spotted around the Volkspark Dutzendteich.

Community Contributors

Added By

emdrichardson

Edited By

JamazingClayton, Allison, shaw95, mordekia...

  • JamazingClayton
  • Allison
  • shaw95
  • mordekia
  • Byrdmouse
  • breaingram
  • epfromer
  • petrolwife
  • Siris

Published

January 13, 2013

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The Kongresshalle, Nuremberg
Bayernstraße 110
Nuremberg, 90471
Germany
49.434143, 11.111125
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