Nuremberg, Germany

Zeppelin Grandstand
Like no other city, Nuremberg, both the “City of the Nazi Party Rallies” and the venue of the International Tribunal of War Criminals, has been linked to the era of National Socialism and the judicial reckoning of this time by the Allied Powers. In 1935, the ignominious “Nuremberg Laws” were proclaimed here. They have remained synonyms for the criminal Nazi regime world-wide. The “Nuremberg Trials” of 1945/46 marked the birth of international criminal jurisdiction. After 1945, the Nuremberg buildings remained largely in their original state. They were in no way stripped of their original character or even “whitewashed” – by conversion or new usage. https://www.nuernberg.de/imperia/md/stadtportal_e/dokumente/zeppelin_field_nuremberg_refurbishment.pdf
The Zeppelin Field
The Zeppelin Field, including its grandstand and the rampart-like stands, is the only complex on the Nuremberg Party Rally Grounds which was designed and implemented by Hitler’s architect, Albert Speer, and which was actually the scene for annual Nazi mass events between 1935 and 1938. Although the City of Nuremberg has annually invested significant sums into the maintenance of these buildings, now, 80 years after completion, the damage to the buildings is significant. But the idea of demolishing the structures completely is also out of the question. For this would mean clearing away the Nazi history, disposing of it. With the National Socialists’ crimes against humanity in mind, particularly a democratic Germany is permanently called upon to do everything in its power to make sure that this will never happen again. The building relics in Nuremberg can serve to demonstrate how the criminal Nazi regime staged itself. Nowhere in the then German Reich rituals designed to align everybody with the “national community”, to create discipline and to prepare the people for war were held to the same extent. This makes the Zeppelin Grandstand and the Zeppelin Field outstanding historical places for learning which would also underline the importance of the former Nazi Party Rally Grounds on the national and international memorial scene. Renowned academics therefore also consider the maintenance of the site to be necessary. There are no comparable Nazi buildings anywhere else. From 1933, the National Socialists used the Zeppelin Field for their Party Rallies. Between 1935 and 1937, the overall site with the grandstand and the rampart-like stands for spectators was constructed. Up to 200,000 people could gather on the field. Large parts of the central area are now used for sports. On 22 April, 1945, two days after the victory parade on Nuremberg’s Main Market Square, a second major parade was staged by the US Army on the Zeppelin Field, finishing with the symbolic blowing up of the big golden swastika in the centre of the grandstand.

rear of St. Sebasto's Church (Nuremberg) - St. Sebaldus Church, Nuremberg - City Hall (Rathaus), Nuremberg
The building was built in the 1230s and completed in 1273-75. It was originally a Romanesque building. In the 14th century, major renovations were made, and the hall was changed to Gothic. The twin towers were added in the 15th century. In the 17th century, its interior decoration was changed to Baroque. The church was severely damaged during World War II and was restored after the war. It is the oldest of the three cathedrals in the city, surpassing the Frauenkirche and St. Lorenz. It is located in Albrecht-Dürer-Platz, opposite the town hall. It is named after the patron saint of Nuremberg , the eighth-century hermit and the missionary St. Sebastian. Since the Reformation , it has been a Lutheran church. St. Sebaldus Church is a medieval church in Nuremberg, Germany. Along with Frauenkirche and St. Lorenz, it is one of the most important churches of the city, and also one of the oldest. It is located at the Albrecht-Dürer-Platz, in front of the old city hall. It takes its name from Sebaldus, an 8th-century hermit and missionary and patron saint of Nuremberg. It has been a Lutheran parish church since the Reformation. City Hall (Rathaus), Nuremberg The oldest part of the Nuremberg City Hall complex is the great ceremonial hall (built from 1332 to 1340), which was at one time the largest secular hall north of the Alps.