Olympic Stadium (Berlin)
| Olympiastadion |
|---|
| |
| Facility statistics |
|---|
| Location | Olympischer Platz, Charlottenburg, Berlin, Germany |
| Opened | 1936 |
| Renovated | 2004 |
| 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 (architect); Krebs und Kiefer Beratende Ingenieure für das Bauwesen GmbH; Riedel und Gastmeyer Partnerschaftsgesellschaft; Schlaich, Bergermann und Partner sbp gmbh. Main contractors: Walter Bau AG and Dywiday. |
| Reconstruction Cost | EUR 242 million |
| Owner/Operator | WALTER BAU-AG/DYWIDAG, HERTHA BSC, Government of Berlin |
| Surface | Grass |
| Structural Type | Horizontal cantilever structure |
| Dimensions | Circumference: 840 m |
| Tenants |
|---|
Hertha BSC Berlin
Berlin Thunder | Bundesliga
NFL Europe |
| Seating capacity |
|---|
| Football | 76,000 (Germany's second largest arena, second to Signal Iduna Park) |
|
The
Olympiastadion (Olympic Stadium) is a sports
stadium in
Berlin. There have been two stadia on the site: the present facility, and one that was built for the aborted
1916 Summer Olympics. Both were designed by members of the same family, the first by
Otto March and the second by his son
Werner March.
The current Olympiastadion surrounded by the massive Olympischer Platz was originally built for the
1936 Summer Olympics. During
World War II these buildings suffered little damage. After the war, the
United Kingdom military occupation used it as its headquarters until 1994.
Aside from its use as an
Olympic stadium, the Olympiastadion has a strong footballing tradition.Historically, it's the ground of club
Hertha BSC of Berlin. It was also used for 3 matches in the
1974 FIFA World Cup. It hosted six matches, including the final, in the
2006 FIFA World Cup and was renovated for that reason. The German Cup final match is held each year at the Olympiastadion in
Berlin.
1916 to 1934. Deutsches Stadion, old Olympiastadion.
In 1912 during the
1912 Summer Olympics the city of
Berlin was designated by the
International Olympic Committee (IOC) to host the
1916 Summer Olympics.
Germany's proposed stadium for this event was to be located in
Charlottenburg, in the
Grunewald Forest, to the west of Berlin -- thus the stadium was also known as
Grunewaldstadion. A
horse racing-course already existed there which belonged to the
Berliner Rennverein, and even today the old ticket booths survive on
Jesse-Owens-Allee street .The government of Germany decided not to build on the nearby Grunewald forest, or to renovate buildings that already existed. Because of this desire, they hired the same architect who originally had built the "Rennverein",
Otto March.
March decided to bury the stadium in the ground ("Erdstadion", in German). The project became the biggest sports stadium in the world at that time with a capacity of 40,000 spectators.
However, the Olympic Games of 1916 were cancelled due to
World War I.After this conflict, a school was founded in the vicinity of the Stadium, dedicated to the teaching of professors of
physical education and the study of
sport science. From 1926 to 1929, Otto March's sons (Werner and Walter) were assigned to build an annex for these institutions: the "Deutsches Sportforum" (German Sportforum), though the construction was intermittent because the project had little financial support.
1936. Olympischer Platz, sportfield of the Reich.
In 1931 the International Olympic Committee made Berlin the host city of the 11th
Summer Olympics.
Originally, the German government decided merely to restore the earlier Olympiastadion (German Stadium) of 1916, with
Werner March again ordered to do this.
When the
Nazis came to power in Germany (1933), they decided to use the Olympic Games for propaganda purposes. With these plans in mind,
Hitler ordered the construction of a great sports complex in Grunewald named the "Olympischer Platz," with a totally new Olympiastadion. Architect Werner March remained in charge of the project, assisted by his brother
Walter March.
Construction took place from 1934 to 1936. When the Olympischer Platz was finished, it was 1.32 square kilometres (326 acres) and had a symmetrical layout. It consisted of (east to west): the Olympiastadion, the Maifeld (Mayfield) (capacity of 500,000) and the Waldbühne amphitheater (capacity of 25,000), in addition to 150 buildings for different sports such as
swimming,
equestrian events, and
field hockey).
|
The entire Olympischer Platz from an Allied aerial spy picture, with its noticeable symmetry. |
Olympiastadion
Over the original Deutsches Stadion, Werner March built the new Olympiastadion, once again with the lower half of the structure buried 12 metres underground.
The capacity of the Olympiastadion reached 110,000 spectators. It also possessed a
VIP stand for Adolf Hitler and his political associates. At its end, aligned with the symmetrically-designed layout of the buildings of the Olympischer Platz and toward the Maifeld, was the "
Marathontor" (Marathon Arch) with a big receptacle for the
Olympic Flame.
Maifeld
Maifeld (Mayfield) was created as a huge lawn (112,000 square metres, 28 acres) for gymnastic demonstrations, specifically annual
May Day celebrations by Hitler's government.
Maifeld was surrounded by 19 metres of land elevation (62 feet), even though the Olympiastadion (to the east) was only 17 metres (55 feet) high.
The total capacity was 250,000 people, with 60,000 in the large stands that extended at the west end. Also located there were the
Langemarck-Halle (below) and the
Glockenturm (rising high).
The walls were built with sturdy stone from the area of the Lower Alps, and also feature equine sculptures (work of
Josef Wackerle).
During the 1936 Olympics the Maifeld was used for
polo events and several allegorical Nazi gymnastic demonstrations.
Glockenturm, the Bell Tower
This tower crowned the western end of the Reichs Sportfield planted amid the tiers of the Maifeld stands. It was 77 metres (247 feet) high. From its peak could be observed the whole city of Berlin. During the games it was used as observation post by administrators and police officials, doctors and the media.
In the tower was the
Olympic Bell. On its surface, the Nazi regime engraved 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
This consisted of huge halls built under the stands of the Maifeld.Pillars were raised on which hung flags and shields commemorating all the forces that participated in a battle fought in
Langemarck (West Flanders, Belgium) on
November 10,
1914, during the First World War.
Waldbühne, the Forest Theatre
The Waldbühne was built by using the glacial river banks of the Berlin
Urstromtal. Reproduction of the old theater of
Epidaurus (3rd century BC). The theater was then named "Dietrich-Eckart-Bühne" in homage to
Dietrich Eckart.
Seating for 22,000 spectators goes down to a depth of 30 metres (97 feet); in the middle section once stood Adolf Hitler's box. The surroundings were decorated with statues by
Adolf Wamper.During the Olympics
gymnastics competitions and a myriad of cultural programs were staged in the Waldbühne.
In August 1 of 1936 the Olympics were officially inaugurated by
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 a marathon-like tour of the Olympic Torch was introduced, from Olympia in Greece, crossing six 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
Carl Diem's, who was a notorious political advisor in Germany specializing in Olympic affairs.
Four million tickets were sold for all the events of the 1936 Summer Olympics.This was also the first Olympics with
television transmission (25 giant screens were scattered all over Berlin) and radio transmissions in 28 languages (with 20 radio vans and 300
microphones).
Among the sport competitions one of the most memorable events was the performance of the
African-American track and field athlete
Jesse Owens, representing the
United States of America. Owens was awarded the
gold medal in 4 categories:
100 metres,
200 metres,
long jump and
4 x 100 metres relay.
|
The Olympiastadion on a competition day during the 1936 Summer Olympics |
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 during the great
final battle of the Second World War in Europe, with the total invasion of Berlin as the
Allies' target.
By these weeks, in one of his last moves
Adolf Hitler had called for the "
Volkssturm" (People's Storm): the recruitment of all German males from 16 to 60 years old in order to add six million more combatants. This resulted in an ill-prepared army of what could almost be called
partisans (though they were not this by definition because they wore a military armlet). One of the components of the Volkssturm was the
Hitler Youth, led politically by
Arthur Axmann.
Then, when the
Soviet army had already taken the Olympischer Platz and knowing the terrain because of his political activities, Diem called for the reconquest of the facilities offering them to Hitler's honor . The Hitler Youth suffered 2000 deaths in this failed attempt.
The only part of the Olympischer Platz that was destroyed was the
Glockenturm Tower.The
Third Reich used this structure to store archives (such as films). The
Soviet troops set on fire all its contents turning the tower into a makeshift chimney. The structure emerged from the fire severely damaged and weakened.In 1947 British
engineers demolished the tower once and for all. The Olympic Bell (which had survived the fire and remained in its place in the tower), fell 77 metres and cracked. In 1956 the bell was rescued in order to be used as a practice target for shooting with
anti-tank ammunition and has been unable to sound since then. The cracked bell survives to this day.[
2]
1945 to 1994. Occupied Berlin
After the war the Olympischer Platz was used as headquarters by the military occupation forces of the
UK.
The British forces settled in the places built by the March siblings (back in the 1920s), which the Third Reich had used for official sport organisations like the
Reichs Academy of Physical Training and the
House of German Sports.Soon the Occupation started a careful reconstruction of the general facilities.From then until 1994, British forces held an annual celebration of Sovereign Day in the Maifeld with thousands of spectators from Berlin present.
During these years
Bundesliga (football) matches were played in the Olympiastadion, with
Hertha BSC Berlin as local team. In the Maifeld several competitions of
football,
rugby and
polo were staged too.In the summers the Waldbühne resumed its concerts of
classical music, as well the showing
movies. The theatre was also used as an improvised
ring for
boxing matches.
The restoration of the "Glockenturm" was carried out from 1960 to 1962, once again by the architect Werner March. The new tower became an important tourist destination offering a panorama of Berlin,
Spandau, the
Havel Valley,
Potsdam,
Nauen, and
Hennigsdorf.
Hertha BSC Berlin
In 1963 the
Bundesliga was formed, and Hertha BSC participated by direct invitation, leaving its old stadium (the "
Plumpe") to use the Olympiastadion. In August 24 it played the first local match against
FC Nuremberg, with the final score 1:1.However, in 1965 the German Football Association
DFB found Hertha BSC guilty of
bribery and relegated them to the Regional Leagues. Hertha had illegally bribed several fooball players in an attempt to add them to the team, following their disinterest in playing in Berlin because of the construction of the
Berlin Wall (
1963).In 1968 Hertha returned to the first division, and to the Olympiastadion, and in 1971 sold "Plumpe".The second half of 1970s was quite successful for Hertha BSC Berlin.In 1979 it reached the semifinals of the
UEFA Cup, but was defeated by
Red Star of Belgrade.Hertha reached the finals of the
German Cup twice (1977 & 1979).
In the 1980s Hertha had a declining role in the Bundesliga, and fell to the Regional Leagues in 1986, although they later recovered reaching the Second Division (1988-1989).
With the demolition of the
Berlin Wall in November, 1989, a spontaneous feeling of sympathy between Hertha and
FC Union from Eastern Berlin arose, which culminated in a friendly match at the Olympiastadion with 50,000 spectators (January 27, 1990).
In 1990 Hertha returned to the first division, although it fell again to the Second League from 1991 until 1997.
Since 1997 the club has improved greatly, climbing up the Bundesliga table and qualifying for the
UEFA Champions League, with matches against top European teams like
Chelsea and
A.C. Milan, increasing the international prestige of the club.
Some matches of Group A (
West Germany,
Chile,
East Germany and
Australia) of the 1974 FIFA World Cup were played in the Olympiastadion. The hosts,
West Germany, won the tournament.
| FIFA Day | Match | Round | Team 1 | | Team 2 | Destination |
|---|
| June 14 | | Group A | 1 | Vs. | 1 | Second Round |
| June 18 | | Group A | 1 | Vs. | 0 | Second Round |
| June 22 | | Group A | 0 | Vs. | 0 | Second Round |
| Team | Pts | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD |
|---|
| 5 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 3 |
| 4 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 3 |
| 2 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | -1 |
| 1 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 5 | -5 |
1994 to 2005
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". [
3]
Finally, it was decided to renovate the Olympiastadion.
FIFA then chose it as one of the venues of the
2006 FIFA World Cup.The
State of Berlin hired a consortium composed of
WALTER BAU-AG and
DYWIDAG that won the
€45 million franchise. The consortium took charge of the operation of the facilities together with
Hertha BSC and the Government of Berlin after the remodelling.
In July 3 2000, the renovation began with a ceremony presided over 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 used. 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 tons 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 with respect to the preservation of the natural stone blocks.Deserving a separate comment the critics that caused the change of the colour of the athletics track around the game field from red to blue.
The renovation
|
Air photograph of the Berlin Olympiastadion and the Olympischer Platz after the renovation. |
The inauguration celebrations of the new Olympic Stadium were carried out on
July 31,
2004 and
August 1,
2004. On that day, Saturday, the party began with performances from
Pink,
Nena (
99 Red Ballons) and
Daniel Barenboim.It culminated at night with the opening ceremony.
On day two, friendly matches were played between different categories of the club Hertha BSC and visiting teams. On
September 8,
2004 Brazil played
Germany.
The new Olympic Stadium seated 76,000, second most in Germany behind
Dortmund's
Signal Iduna Park (formerly Westfalenstadion).
The roof rises 68 metres over the seats and is made up of transparent panels that allow sunlight to stream in during the day. The western portion (on the
Marathon Arch) is open to reveal the "Glockenturm" to the spectators.
The Olympiastadion was equipped with the latest technology in artificial illumination and sound equipment. It has 113 VIP stands, a set of restaurants, and two underground garages (for 630 cars).
The total cost of the remodeling and amplification was 242 million euros.
#
Hertha BSC Berlin plays its
DFB-
Bundesliga matches. Historical local team.#
German Cup's (official
German title: "
DFB-Pokal") final match is held at the
Olympiastadion yearly.#
Ladies DFB-Cup, since 1985.#
ISTAF, annually as the Final of the
Golden League in
athletics.#
Berlin Thunder,
NFL Europe (
American Football) club.
This was the scene for the finals that was made notorious by
the Zidane headbutt.
Scheduled matches
Political considerations
The Olympiastadion was designated to play the final match of the
2006 FIFA World Cup. 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". [
4]
"The history is there, the totality of the buildings is there. The whole Nazi landscape has not disappeared", added the sports sociologist
Günther Gebauer. "There are towers like in a fortress, and people who come will always ask where the Führer sat.". [
5]
Germany's Interior Minister
Otto Schily, 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". [
6]
*On
January 9,
2002, construction workers found a
World War Two bomb buried beneath a section of seating. It was detonated outside the stadium by Berlin police. [
7]
* From 1951 to 2005, the Olympischer Platz had a giant
antenna transmitting for all the
portable radios in Berlin.
*
Official Olympiastadion Site*
The Nazi Olympics: Complete historical enumeration of the Nazi projects (in the 1930s). Some of the images few times seen before. As example, seems that after the successful 1936 Summer Olympics Adolf Hitler dreamt with creating a massive stadium in Germany to 400,000 spectators. Where would take place all the other Olympic Games.
*
Picture galleries: An illustrative walk along the facilities of the Olympischer Platz.
*
Photos of the stadium taken in 1989: Interesting details, particularly of the statues of the Nazi era.
*
Site of Hertha BSC football club: Very informative site.
*
Map of the Olympiastadion Berlin and other World Cup venues
