Olympic Dreams
Main Entrance to the Berlin Olympic Stadium (Berliner Olympiastadion). The Olympic Stadium was designed by Werner March and built between 1934 and 1936 for the 1936 Summer Olympics. The Olympiastadion was part of the so called Reichssportfeld on which, together with the Olympiastadion, the Olympic Swim Stadium, Hockey Stadium, Riding Stadium, the Bell Tower (please see first comment), the Maifeld ("mayfield" - a huge lawn with tribunes designed for "may marches" and other propaganda events), the Waldbühne ("forest stage"), and other buildings were/are located. Originally, the Olympiastadion was designed for a spectator capacity of more than 100,000, which is also thought to be the record attendance during the 1936 Summer Olympics (110,00). During World War II parts of the stadium's catacombs were used as air raid shelters, while other parts of the catacombs housed a factory for detonators.
After the war the former Reichssportfeld (today called "Olympic Park") was used as headquarters by the British military occupational forces. Until their departure in 1994, the British forces held annual celebrations of Queen Elisabeth II. Official Birthdays on the Maifeld which attracted thousands of spectators from Berlin.
Since 1963 the Olympiastadion is the home venue for Hertha BSC, Berlin's local Bundesliga (Premier league) football team. The Olympiastadion hosted many Bundesliga matches, three matches of the 1974 Football World Cup, six matches of the 2006 FIFA World Cup (including the final), and the opening match of the 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup.
In 1998, when the stadium already was in a very bad condition, it was debated to either demolish it because of its heritage rooted in Nazi Germany, or to let it "crumble like the Colosseum in Rome" (Wikipedia). In the end it was decided to extensively renovate it. Today it has a capacity of about 75,000 seats, and is considered to be one of Germany's most beautiful athletics sports stadiums. After successfully hosting the European Athletics Championships in August 2018 (together with Glasgow) plans to convert the Olympiastadion into a mere football stadium for Hertha BSC were finally dismissed for good.
Photowalk with Sabine.R
Olympic Dreams
Main Entrance to the Berlin Olympic Stadium (Berliner Olympiastadion). The Olympic Stadium was designed by Werner March and built between 1934 and 1936 for the 1936 Summer Olympics. The Olympiastadion was part of the so called Reichssportfeld on which, together with the Olympiastadion, the Olympic Swim Stadium, Hockey Stadium, Riding Stadium, the Bell Tower (please see first comment), the Maifeld ("mayfield" - a huge lawn with tribunes designed for "may marches" and other propaganda events), the Waldbühne ("forest stage"), and other buildings were/are located. Originally, the Olympiastadion was designed for a spectator capacity of more than 100,000, which is also thought to be the record attendance during the 1936 Summer Olympics (110,00). During World War II parts of the stadium's catacombs were used as air raid shelters, while other parts of the catacombs housed a factory for detonators.
After the war the former Reichssportfeld (today called "Olympic Park") was used as headquarters by the British military occupational forces. Until their departure in 1994, the British forces held annual celebrations of Queen Elisabeth II. Official Birthdays on the Maifeld which attracted thousands of spectators from Berlin.
Since 1963 the Olympiastadion is the home venue for Hertha BSC, Berlin's local Bundesliga (Premier league) football team. The Olympiastadion hosted many Bundesliga matches, three matches of the 1974 Football World Cup, six matches of the 2006 FIFA World Cup (including the final), and the opening match of the 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup.
In 1998, when the stadium already was in a very bad condition, it was debated to either demolish it because of its heritage rooted in Nazi Germany, or to let it "crumble like the Colosseum in Rome" (Wikipedia). In the end it was decided to extensively renovate it. Today it has a capacity of about 75,000 seats, and is considered to be one of Germany's most beautiful athletics sports stadiums. After successfully hosting the European Athletics Championships in August 2018 (together with Glasgow) plans to convert the Olympiastadion into a mere football stadium for Hertha BSC were finally dismissed for good.
Photowalk with Sabine.R