Hitler’s Olympiastadium and World Cup 2006

Today’s World Cup final between France and Italy kicks off in the Olympic Stadium, I was surprise by the fact that the main stadium for World Cup was constructed in 1936 for the then Olympic Games. Adolf Hitler wanted to show the whole world the supremacy of the German people with its new stadium, the architect for Olympiastadium was Warner March.

For the World Cup, it underwent a 240 million overhaul – with new roof, improved stands and a blue running track,. 240 million euro is alot when it comes to upgrading a stadium, maybe its because of the higher standard of living in Germany, I bet South Africa could built 10 stadiums with that kind of money.

The origins of Olympiastadium, to give it its German name, date back to the 19th century when horse racing was held on the site, before that a stadium was built there for the 1916 Olympics Games but due to the outbreak of World War One, the games never take place.

It was only in January 1933 that the stadium took a new direction under the newly appointed chancellor – Hitler. The Nazis utilized it as a propaganda tool for the next Olympics. During World War 2, the stadium was converted into Nazi’s radio network station, and after the war, the Allies made it their troops headquaters.

The original name for Olympiastadium was Reichssportfeld, it was eventually de-Nazified.

In 1998 Berliners debated the destiny of the Olympiastadion in light of the legacy it represented for Germany. Some wanted to tear the stadium down and build a new one from scratch, while others favoured letting it slowly crumble “like the Colisseum in Rome”.

The newly renovated stadium now occupies a central role in German sports and cultural calendar. After the World Cup, it will host concerts given by the Rolling Stones and Robbie Williams.

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