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.

History

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).

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. ^*

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.

Berlin, 1936 Summer Olympics.

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.

1939 to 1945. World War II

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.^*

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.

1974 FIFA World Cup

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	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

Pts	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD
5	3	2	1		4	1	3
4	3	2		1	4	1	3
2	3		2	1	1	2	-1
1	3		1	2		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". ^*

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 tones 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

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.

Current usage

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.

FIFA World Cup 2006

Scheduled matches

Date	Time(CET)	Team #1	Res.	Team #2	Round	Spectators
2006-06-13	21.00	Brazil	1-0	Croatia	Group F	72,000
2006-06-15	21.00	Sweden	1-0	Paraguay	Group B	72,000
2006-06-20	16.00	Ecuador	0-3	Germany	Group A	72,000
2006-06-23	16.00	Ukraine	1-0	Tunisia	Group H	72,000
2006-06-30	17.00	Germany	1-1 (4-2 PEN)	Argentina	Quarterfinals	72,000
2006-07-09	20.00	Italy	1-1 (5-3 PEN)	France	Final	69,000

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". ^*

"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.". ^*

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". ^*

Trivia

On January 9, 2002, construction workers found a bomb under a seat from the Second World War. It was detonated outside the building by Berlin police. ^*
From 1951 to 2005, the Olympischer Platz had a giant antenna transmitting for all the portable radios in Berlin.

External links

Official Olympiastadion Site: Partially under construction. Scarce information, though it allows to reserve tickets.
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

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