1916–1934: Deutsches Stadion in 1923 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 the current Jesse-Owens-Allee. The government of Germany decided not to build in 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 build the stadium under the ground ("Erdstadion", in German). However, the 1916 Olympic Games were cancelled due to
World War I. In the 1920s the first buildings of a school, the "Deutsches Sportforum" (German Sport Forum), dedicated to the teaching of professors of
physical education and the study of
sport science were built northeast of the stadium site. From 1926 to 1929, Otto March's sons (Werner and Walter) were assigned to build an annex for these institutions, though the finalization was delayed until 1936.
1936–1945: Olympiastadion in 1939, the
Führer of
Nazi Germany,
Adolf Hitler addressed the
Hitler youth (HJ) at the Olympic Stadium. The dark jackets of the
BdM between the white blouses of the boys of the HJ formed the words
WIR GEHÖREN DIR (lit. "WE BELONG (TO) YOU", meaning "We are yours"). In 1931, the International Olympic Committee selected Berlin to host the
11th Summer Olympics. Originally, the German government decided merely to restore the earlier Olympiastadion of 1916, with
Werner March again retained to do this. When the
Nazi Party won the election in Germany in 1933, they decided to use the Olympic Games to build a new stadium and Olympic Complex for Berlin in 1936.
Fuhrer and Reich Chancellor
Adolf Hitler ordered the construction of a great sports complex in Grunewald named the "Reichssportfeld" with a new Olympiastadion. Architect Werner March remained in charge of the project, assisted by his brother
Walter. The complex, including the Olympiastadion, was commissioned by the Nazi government and constructed between 1934 and 1936 using state funds. Although the Grunewald area once included royal hunting grounds, by the time of construction, the land was under government control and the stadium was state-owned. Construction took place from 1934 to 1936. When the Reichssportfeld was finished, it was . It consisted of (east to west): the Olympiastadion, the
Maifeld (Mayfield, capacity of 50,000) and the
Waldbühne amphitheatre (capacity of 25,000), in addition to various places, buildings and facilities for different sports (such as football,
swimming,
equestrian events, and
field hockey) in the northern part. Werner March built the new Olympiastadion on the foundation of the original Deutsches Stadion, once again with the lower half of the structure recessed below ground level. The capacity of the Olympiastadion reached 110,000 spectators. It also possessed a VIP stand. At its end, aligned with the symmetrically designed layout of the buildings of the Olympischer Platz and toward the Maifeld, was the Marathon Gate with a big receptacle for the
Olympic Flame.
Maifeld The Maifeld (Mayfield) was created as a huge lawn (11.2 hectares, 28 acres) for gymnastic demonstrations, specifically annual
May Day celebrations by the government. The area was surrounded by 19 metres of land elevation (62 ft), even though the Olympiastadion (to the east) was only 17 metres (55 ft) 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 Bell Tower (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). 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
Langemark (West Flanders, Belgium) on 10 November 1914, during the First World War. Since 2006, the ground floor is home to a public exhibit providing historical information on the area of the former Reichssportfeld. During the 1936 Olympics, the Maifeld was used for
polo and equestrian dressage events. After the Second World War, the occupying forces of the British Army (
Berlin Infantry Brigade) annually celebrated the
King's or Queen's Official Birthday on the Maifeld and used it for a variety of sporting activities including cricket. Starting in 2012, Maifeld became home to the cricket clubs of Berlin.
Bell Tower The Bell Tower crowned the western end of the Reichssportfeld planted amid the tiers of the Maifeld stands. It was 77 metres (247 ft) high. From its peak could be observed the whole city of Berlin. During the games, it was used as an observation post by administrators, police officials, doctors, and the media. In the tower was the Olympic Bell. On its surface were the
Olympic rings with an
eagle, the year 1936, the
Brandenburg Gate, the date 1–16 August in German, a
motto between two
swastikas: "I call the youth of the world" also in German, and
11. Olympic Games Berlin – although the games were the 10th (Summer) Olympics, they were the Games of the XI Olympiad. The Bell Tower was the only part of the Reichssportfeld that was destroyed in the war. The
Third Reich used the tower's structure to store archives (such as films). The
Soviet troops accidentally set its contents on fire, turning the tower into a makeshift chimney. The structure emerged from the fire severely damaged and weakened. In 1947, the British
engineers demolished the tower; however, it was reconstructed accurately in 1962. The Olympic Bell (which had survived the fire and remained in its place in the tower) fell 77 metres and cracked and has been incapable of sounding since then. In 1956, the bell was rescued, only to be used as a practice target for shooting with
anti-tank ammunition. The damaged old bell survives and serves as a memorial. The recreation of the tower was carried out from 1960 to 1962, once again by the architect Werner March, following the original
blueprints. The present tower became an important tourist destination offering a panorama of Berlin,
Spandau, the
Havel Valley,
Potsdam,
Nauen and
Hennigsdorf. The most significant battle around the Olympiastadion was in April 1945 when the Soviet army fought to capture it. This was during the
final battle of the Second World War in Europe, with the total invasion of Berlin as the
Allies' target. The Olympiastadion survived the war almost untouched; it only suffered the impact of
machine gun shots.
1945–1990: West Berlin era After the war, the former
Reichssportfeld became the headquarters of the British military occupation forces. The administration settled in the northeastern buildings designed by the March brothers in the 1920s, which the Third Reich had used for official sport organisations such as the Reich Academy of Physical Training and extended by 1936, adding the "Haus des deutschen Sports" (House of German Sports) and other buildings (which belong since 1994 to the
Olympiapark Berlin, a central sporting facility of the City of Berlin). Soon, the British forces renovated war-damaged buildings but also converted interiors to their specific needs (one gymnasium was converted into a dining hall, another into a garage). From 1951 to 2005, the Olympischer Platz had a giant antenna transmitting for all the portable radios in Berlin. From then until 1994 and their departure, British forces held an annual celebration of the
Queen's Official Birthday in the Maifeld with thousands of spectators from Berlin present. During the 1960s, American military and high school football teams introduced hundreds of thousands of Berliners to American football at the stadium in exhibition games. During those years,
Bundesliga football matches were played in the Olympiastadion, with
Hertha BSC as the local team. In the Maifeld, several competitions of
football,
rugby and
polo were staged too. In the summers, the Waldbühne resumed its
classical music concerts, and playing
movies. The theatre was also used as an improvised
ring for
boxing matches.
1990–2004: Reunified Berlin 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 Colosseum in Rome". Finally, it was decided to renovate the Olympiastadion.
FIFA 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. On 3 July 2000, the renovation began with a ceremony presided over by the
Chancellor Gerhard Schröder, accompanied by
Eberhard Diepgen (Mayor of Berlin),
Franz Beckenbauer and Prof. Dr. Ignaz Walter.
2004–present: Multi-purpose arena The re-inauguration celebrations of the new Olympiastadion were carried out on 31 July 2004, and 1 August 2004. On that day, Saturday, the party began with performances from
Pink,
Nena 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 8 September 2004,
Brazil played
Germany. From 2003 to 2007, the stadium was home to the
Berlin Thunder. In 2011, the venue hosted the World Culture Festival organized by the
Art of Living where 70,000 people meditated for peace. In 2015, the venue hosted the
2015 UEFA Champions League final. In 2018, the venue hosted the
2018 European Athletics Championships. In 2024, the venue hosted the
UEFA Euro 2024 final. In 2025, the venue hosted the
NFL International Series between the
Indianapolis Colts and the
Atlanta Falcons. ==Renovation==