There are few stadiums in the world that are more used to having the world’s spotlight on it than the Olympiastadion in Berlin.
It is a stadium that has played host to many massive sporting moments, even beyond the footballing world. One of its biggest occasions will come in 2024 as it plays host to the Euro 2024 final with Germany as the host nation.
Here is the background of the historic stadium and a look at the huge events that have taken place there over the decades since its construction.
The idea of building a stadium in this particular part of Berlin can be traced as far back as 1868 when horse racing was popular among the high society. They used to take place in the east outside of Berlin but the Union-Klub decided to find a location in Berlin West that people could travel to quickly.
After one location, Victor von Podbielski found a Grunewald location for the Union-Klub. They signed a 30-year lease in 1907 but it then became clear that the area already belonged to the people of Berlin, as ordered by Emperor Wilhelm II. That means Union-Klub had to ensure their development served ‘general sports functions’ too.
A 40,000-capacity track was designed in 1909 and then Berlin was handed the 1916 Olympics. Excavation work soon began for the National Stadium or ‘Grunewaldstadion’ and it was created in just 200 days of construction. It became the centre of German sports and trained athletes and coaches on-site. World War I arrived and progress was halted until after the war.
As the area continued to develop its facilities, Berlin then won the bid for the 1936 Olympics. Werner March already had plans for the development of the stadium itself and he would soon get his wish to demolish the National Stadium to build a new and improved one.
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Hitler’s role in the Olympiastadion
Adolf Hitler was made Chancellor in January 1933 and he quickly paid attention to the new stadium plans. He could see the Olympic Games were a perfect propaganda opportunity. He chose the design plan from the March brothers which called for demolishing the National Stadium and designing a new, more visible one.
Construction was slow and the government had to put serious pressure on construction companies. They were also forced only to hire ‘complying, non-union workers of German citizenship and Aryan race’. At one point, 500 companies with…
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