‘Never throughout all of German history have greater and nobler buildings been planned, begun and completed than in our own time (...). This is why these buildings are not intended for the year 1940, or for the year 2000, but, rather, they should reach out, like the cathedrals of our past, into the centuries of the future‘ 

(Hitler in Nuremberg, September 7, 1937)

The NSDAP held in 1927 and 1929, long before it came to power, its first two congresses in Nuremberg. Hitler chose the capital of the Franconia region of political and practical reasons. On the one hand, the nazis enjoyed strong support in the city, including the police chief. On the other hand, the imperial past of the city during the Middle Ages was used to promote the concept of a new Germanic empire that the Nazis wanted to convey. In this sense, the party used the slogan 'Of the city of the Imperial Diet (Reichstag) to the City of Party Congresses (Reichsparteitage). Thanks to this misappropriation of the nation's imperial past, Hitler wanted to present as a protector and renewal of the Reich. This strategy culminated in 1938 with the return of  the imperial relics from Vienna.

In 1934 the young architect Albert Speer was commissioned to plan the permanent nazi party rally grounds, a huge complex of buildings, open sites and gardens of 11 square kilometers. The structures had to impress and intimidate, demand discipline and offer a sense of communion. It was an architecture in service of propaganda and a new demonstration of the power of the new dictatorship. Hitler was personally involved in most construction projects and Speer was chosen to perform the architectural fantasies of power and domination of Hitler.

Only a few elements of the huge complex was completed, another did not go beyond the foundation or the structure of the building. The construction of the complex it was practically paralyzed with the beginning of World War II.

Currently it can take a tour of about two hours by the immense enclosure. Each significant element is marked with an interpretive panel that includes several images. Throughout the complex there are 21 panels.

Kongresshalle

One of the two most emblematic buildings of the complex is Kongresshalle, an intimidating and giant replica of a Roman coliseum with a capacity for 50,000 people. With a base of 275 x 265 meters, is one of the larger relics of nazi monumental architecture in Germany. Work started on September 11, 1935 with the laying of the foundation stone by Hitler in the presence of 6,000 spectators. Four years later, work was stopped with 60 percent of the work performed. The granite exterior structure was completed but not inside, a large auditorium with no columns, and the roof.

After the war, the unfinished giant became the property of the city of Nuremberg. In 1949 the building housed an exhibition with the participation of over 500 companies and 300,000 visitors. In 1950, it was enabled a restaurant on the second floor. In the following years, Kongresshalle was the scene of several types of events such as exhibitions of traditional costumes or meetings of exiles. However, the authorities could not find a final destination for the building. Despite this, there were other projects to become Kongresshalle into a convention center, a football stadium, a cinema for vehicles, a nursing home and the idea of ??blowing up the building. None of the projects came to fruition. In 1969, the Nuremberg City Council chose a pragmatic way, the Kongresshalle became a rented warehouse space to various companies.

The several projects to transform the building, however, continued. In 1987 a private company proposed to invest 500 million marks to transform the coliseum into a great mall. Bavarian Office for the Protection of Historic Monuments rejected this idea, while growing awareness of civil society in order to maintain this historical legacy. Since 1996, steps were initiated to build inside the building a permanent documentation center about the construction of the complex of party congresses. In 2001, the permanent documentation center 'Fascination and Terror' opened its doors. Each year over 170,000 people around the world visit the exhibition.

Grossestrasse

The main axis of communication of the complex was the main avenue, called Grossestrasse, 60 meters wide and two kilometers in length between Kongresshalle and March Field. The avenue was aligned with the Imperial Castle of Nuremberg, in the heart of Old Town. In this way it was intended to create a symbolic link between the old imperial city and the convention complex. A total of 1,500 meters were completed in 1939 with the placement of 60,000 granite slabs. After the war, U.S. warplanes used it as an aircraft landing. Currently, the avenue has become a big parking for mass events, like football matches.

Municipal Sports Stadium

The municipal stadium was built between 1923 and 1928 within the precincts of future congresses. With the advent of the Third Reich, it was transformed to host events for the congresses. The regime decided to widened the entrance stadium and to built a platform for the Führer. Currently the stadium is the home of Nuermberg football club.

Zeppelinfeld and Zeppelintribune

The Zeppelinfield and the Zeppelintribune are  the only complex structures were completed in full. Its name reflects the fact that in 1907 landed in this area a dirigible Graf Zeppelin. Built between 1933 and 1937, the two structures resembles a huge auditorium with stands for spectators and a main gallery 300 meters long and modeled on the pattern of the Altar of Pergamon, one of the masterpieces of classical architecture preserved in the Pergamon Museum in Berlin. The Zeppelinfield was one outdoor scenario for large concentrations of the supporters of Hitler, immortalized in Leni Riefenstahl's propaganda film, The Triumph of the Will '(1934). More than 160,000 people could gather in the complex.

During the Second World War, the complex remained intact. On April 22, 1945, the United States Army held here his victory parade. After the ceremony, a large swastika gilded copper that topped the main stand was blown up. It was one of the most famous images of World War II and which symbolized the end of the Third Reich and Nationalsocialism. In 1967, the city of Nuremberg demolished the colonnade of the main grandstand, saying they were unsafe. Some years later, the two sides of the grandstand towers were also demolished half of its height.

Since 1945, the Zeppelinfield is reused for various purposes, such as cultural and sporting events as the "Rock im Park ' or the  '200-mile car race in Nuremberg." However, the main grandstand is very degraded. Year after year, the City Council allocated 100,000 euros to the maintenance of the platform, damaged by the explosions suffered. A sign located on the steps of the grandstand warns visitors it can not guarantee their safety. An adequate rehabilitation of the structure would require an investment of 70 million euros and could be delayed for a period of 10 years.

Deutsche Stadium

In the same area as Zeppelinfield, but on the opposite side of the Grossestrasse, Speer had designed the most extraordinary building of the complex. It was the Deutsche Stadium, with a capacity for 400,000 people, the largest in the world. The monstrous building must exceed 120 meters high and would hosted the nationalsocialist combat games, a sort of Germanic Olympics. The structure inspired by the ancient stadium of Olympia was never built and were only foundation works. The hole created is filled with water to form the present lake Silbersee. In its southern shore stands a hill created by the rubble of the destroyed old town during the war. In 1958 he became a lookout.

March Field

The Grossestrasse should lead the crowd to March Field, a huge rectangular open space dimensions, 700 x 900 meters, where the Wehrmacht held exhibitions. It  would be surrounded by 24 defensive towers and stands for spectators. The military displays should prepare german people for war, both mentally and emotionally. The construction of the rectangular platform was launched in 1938. They rose 11 of the 24 towers surrounding the campus entrance, but between 1966 and 1967 towers were destroyed. March Field's name could refer to the classic god of war, Mars, or to the month of March 1935, when it was reintroduced compulsory military service in Germany.

The Luitpold Arena

In 1929, the authorities opened a monument in memory to soldiers killed in the green area of ??Luitpold (Luitpold Grove), located at the north end of the future nazi complex. The Nazis used this site at its congress in 1927, and also two years later taking advantage of the existence of the monument recently built, but not yet opened, to honor the fallen.Hitler had all party members to swear an oath of allegiance to him using the so-called 'blood flag', used during the putsch of the brewery in Munich in 1923. Since 1933, this area became a parade ground for 150,000 people. The area was nazified with the construction of a huge gallery topped by three huge nazi flags and two bronze imperial eagles on both sides. The two structures were joined by the so-called 'Führer street ". This was the scene of massive Hitler and Himmler ceremonies which honored the martyrs of their 'movement' and promoted the national spirit of sacrifice. The large gallery and the street were destroyed, and the green area was restored to its original state between 1958 and 1959. Currently still stands the original monument to the fallen.