Documentation Centre and Nazi Party Rally Grounds in Nuremberg, Germany

The Documentation Centre and Nazi Party Rally Grounds is located in Nuremberg, Germany, about 80 minutes from Munich via the express train.
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Here’s the German ICE train, second class compartment. VERY nice. Okay–this was the weirdest thing. We were about 10 minutes out of Munich when all of a sudden two guys started playing guitars. I mean really! It seems so cliché–summer, Europe, backpackers, guitars. Happily, they were very good. I’ll upload the video when I find my camera…
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The Documentation Centre in Nuremberg has been open since 2001. The museum is located in the north wing of the uncompleted Congress Hall, which is, according to Wikipedia, the “biggest preserved National Socialist monumental building“. You enter the museum via the stairs on the left.
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This is the exterior of the Congress Hall and…

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Here’s another view from across the lake. The entrance to the museum is under the pointed overhang on the right.
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The permanent exhibit “Fascination and Terror” is really more photographs than items, though this really was a copy of Hitler’s Mien Kampf. All the exhibit labels are in German, by the way, so be sure to get your audio guide as your personal translator. Even better, however, is the excellent book of the exhibit, which has photos and translations of all the panels. Unless you want to spend all day here, I recommend listening to all of the overview audios, browse the photos, and spend your time watching the amazing videos. Buy the book and read it later at your leisure.
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The inside of the building is a interesting combination of old and new architecture.

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A walkway in the museum.

After four hours, Roxi and I needed a cup of tea, so we headed down to the museum’s cafe. One hour later, Mr. DJ joined us. We decided that even though it was raining, we really wanted to see the Nazi Party Rally Grounds before we left.

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Here’s the granite paved Great Road or Große Straße–click here to see a map. It was supposed to have been used as a parade road, but it was completed just as the war started so it was never used during the rallies. The US Army eventually used the road as an airfield during World War II.

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Zeppelin Field–a peek through the fence. The stands are grown over now.

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View of the Grandstand from the road.

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Close up of the Grandstand designed by Albert Speer who based it on the Pergamon Altar. The US Army blew the Swastika off the top of the grandstand after the war. You can see an animated clip here.

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View from the Grandstand toward Zeppelin Field.

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I took this photo of another photo posted on one of the nearby information panels. This is the same view in my previous photo but taken many, many years ago.

Are you interested in reading more about our trip to Germany and Austria in June 2008? Click here for an index of posts.