Olympiapark Berlin (German for Berlin Olympic Park), previously the () and the (), is a sports and entertainment complex located in Berlin, Germany. The complex served as the Olympic Park of the 1936 Summer Olympics.1936 Summer Olympics official report. Volume 1. pp. 141–9, 154–62. Accessed 17 October 2010.
History Early history "A people's park" The area in the Grunewald had been promised to the people of Berlin as "a people's park" by Emperor Wilhelm II in 1904. Due to this, when the later signed a lease for a horseracing track, they had to agree that their land would also host "general sports functions"
Grunewald Race Course A horse race track at Hoppegarten just east outside the city held its first races as early as 1868. The "Union-Klub" was one of the main organizations behind the early development of that site. Due to a loss of spectators, the Union-Klub started looking for a new site to the west of Berlin by the time they settled upon a site in Ruhleben, where the club would lease land and manage a horse racing track from 1884 until 1893. In 1906 Victor von Podbielski was able to arrange for the "Union-Klub" to find another location in the Grunewald. In February 1907, the organization signed a 30-year lease for land north of Döberitzer Heerstraße. This would become the Gunewald Race Course.
The Grunewald Race Course was the original sporting venue on the site now occupied by Olympiapark Berlin. This horse racing venue was designed by Otto March, and opened 3 May 1909. The venue had a capacity of 40,000. Its center contained an 85,000 square meter depression slated to eventually house a stadium. That stadium planned for the center of the racecourse would come only five years later.
Deutsches Sportforum (1912–1925) Plans to build an Olympic sports complex in the area of the Racetrack can be traced as far back as 1906 prior to Germany's athletic participation in the 1906 Intercalated Games.
During the 1912 Summer Olympics, the city of Berlin was designated by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to host the 1916 Summer Olympics during the 14th IOC Conference which was held in Stockholm on 27 May 1912. Berlin had previously bid unsuccessfully for the 1908 Summer Olympics, and had hosted the 10th IOC Conference (where the host for the 1912 Summer Olympics had been voted on) on 27 May 1909. Berlin defeated bids from Alexandria, Egypt; Amsterdam, Netherlands; Brussels, Belgium; Budapest, Hungary; and Cleveland, United States in the bid for 1916 Summer Olympics.
The stadium for this was to be located in Charlottenburg, in the Grunewald Forest, to the west of Berlin.
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" (the Grunewald Race Course) Otto March. The organizing committee's evaluation of the site a site led them to decide that the area inside the Grunewald Race Course offered enough room for a suitable venue to be built. Access to this stadium was provided by a tunnel passage under the racetrack. The tunnel was 65 feet wide, and provided access to the south end of the stadium. This tunnel is one of the few surviving portions of the former race track. The stadium was sunk into the ground on inside of the racetrack, so as not to disturb the view of the racing action.
The Berlin Racing Association contributed a piece of land on the northern end of the Grunewald for the stadium. The land had been originally rented by the Racing Association from the Forest Department.
Work on the stadium, the Deutsches Stadion (), began in August 1912. When it opened, it held over 18,500 spectators, and had a seating capacity of 11,500. March decided to bury the stadium in the ground ("Erdstadion", in German). On 8 June 1913 the stadium was dedicated with the release of 10,000 pigeons. 60,000 people were in attendance. The stadium contained a 650-foot running track surrounded by a 720-yard cycling track. A 108-yard swimming pool was located on the outer edge of the cycling tack. The stadium also was alternatively known by the names Grunewaldstadion and Berlin Stadium. The stadium was inaugurated 15 May 1913, following a mere 200-day construction schedule. The opening ceremony of the stadium occurred 8 June 1913. Otto March had died April of that year, thus he was unable to see the opening of the stadium.
One unique facet of the venue was a large oak located just outside the eastern edge of the stadium. Otto March made the decision to leave the oak. It was a decision inspired by the holy olive tree that had blessed the Ancient Olympic Games in Olympia. The oak was named the "Podbielski-Eiche" after the State Minister.
Organization continued despite the onset of World War I in 1914, since it was not expected that the war would continue for long enough to interrupt the games. Eventually, though, the Games were cancelled due to the war.
The stadium was closed on 26 July 1914, and by 1915 the stadium was being used as a military hospital. It would be a year until sports would again take place in the stadium.
15 May 1920 the "Deutsche Hochschule für Leibesübungen" () (DHfL) was founded by Berlin's Friedrich-Wilhelms-University. This sports institution was also referred to alternately as the "German Institute for Physical Education". The German University for Athletics used the Deutsches Stadion.
Beginning in the summer of 1921, a two-story university building was constructed north of the stadium's swimming pool. 26 May 1922, this new building, which included a gymnasium, fencing hall, and a dining and reading room, was opened.
In 1925 Theodor Lewald suggested that the complex be named the "Sportforum". 16 September 1925, the board of the German Committee for Physical Training (the DRA) officially began using the name "Deutsches Sportforum" () for the complex.
Deutsches Sportforum (1925–1933) The stadium was outgrown the by German Institute for Physical Education. The DRA, which before WWI had been the "National Committee for the Olympic Games" (Germany's NOC), supplemented the stadium's facilities by building the "Deutsches Sportforum" complex, alternately referred to as the "Deutsches Sportsforum" (). The facilities were largely dedicated to educating physical education teachers, as well as to studying sport science. The buildings of the Sportforum were constructed northeast of the stadium. Werner March, son of Otto March, won a contest relating to the construction of the complex, and served as its architect. Werner largely collaborated with brother Walter March on this and other projects he would later work on for the sports complex.
The cornerstone of the complex was laid by on 18 October 1925, the anniversary of the Battle of Leipzig.
A women's dormitory for students was constructed at the northwest end of the grounds. A tunnel beneath the cycling track connected the stadium with the northern portion of the complex, which allowed the stadium's track and the new running track to both be used for competition and practice respectively. A planned gymnasium had begun construction in 1926, but was only half complete when the entire project was halted in 1928 due to insufficient funds to continue construction.
Prior to the onslaught of the Great Depression, Werner March had made a design for the renovation of the Deutsches Stadion into a venue with a 65,000-person capacity as a part of revived plans to hopefully host the Olympic Games in Berlin.
Planned expansion and original Olympic preparations The training fields and training halls of the complex received great usage. Studies were undertaken for the complex's expansion in 1928, after work had halted on the existing portions of the complex. Eventually, in the course of these studies, it was realized that Deutsches Stadium's infield was too large, leading to poor sightlines, and its maximum capacity of 40,000 spectators was deemed to be too small to serve as an Olympic Stadium if Berlin, as was being considered, were to host the Olympics in 1936. The reason the stadium could not be expanded beyond 40,000 due to the Grunewald Race Course. If the Race Course were to be retained, the stadium's height could not be increased.
The need for an expanded Sportforum was furthered on 25 April 1931, when the International Olympic Committee announced Berlin as the host of the 1936 Summer Olympic Games. Berlin was awarded the 1936 Summer Olympics on 26 May 1930. at the 30th IOC Conference, held in Lausanne, Switzerland.
After Berlin was awarded the Olympics, plans were drawn up to renovate the Deutsches Stadion extensively. The venue only held 30,000 spectators, which by then had become insufficient host the Olympics. The cycling track would be completely eliminated, and the current 650-yard running track would be removed as well and replaced with a new 433-yard track (adhering to the international dimensions). The field would be sunken deeper, and new rows of seats were to be constructed at the bottom of the current stands. Its seating capacity would as a result of this planned renovation been increased from 30,000 to 80,000 spectators. The tunnel entrance at the south end, crossing below the Grunewald Race Course, was a source of congestion during events. Plans were made to relieve this congestion by building a new eastern tunnel, and by a new entrance to the entire complex would be constructed on the side facing the main city-center, which was only 5 miles to the east of the complex. The stadium's expansion was to be of a modern steel and reinforced concrete structure.
One unique and appealing aspect of the original stadium had been the inclusion of a swimming pool. In the plans to renovate the stadium, attempts were made to retain the union between the swimming pool and the athletic stadium. Initially, plans were considered to move the pool to a location inside the stadium between the outer edge of the new running track and the stands, either on the west or east side of the stadium. Werner March than decided against this direct union, and instead located a swimming stadium outside the stadium, at a 90-degree angle to its longitudinal axis. It was to be at the same level of the outside gallery of the Olympic Stadium, and half as high as the stands of the stadium, placing the swimming venue in-line with the stadium's entrance. An enclosed arcade was thereafter added to the plans as well.
A model of these plans was publicly displayed at the German Building Exhibition in July 1931. The plan received approval from sport governing bodies. The DRA began discussions to execute the plans. The Berlin Racing Association had changed their stance from a previously voiced opposition to renovating the stadium, to a more favorable attitude towards the project on the condition that they were to be compensated for the horse races that would have to be suspended during the construction process. The Ministry of Agriculture then agreed to lease the entire grounds to the Racing Association with the condition that the sub-lease of the stadium by the DRA should be continued. The land east of the racecourse was made available for building the planned tunnel.
In January 1932, the City of Berlin put forth a surprise counter plan. The City's Municipal Construction Councilor Wagnar made the suggestion that a temporary wooden stadium instead should be built on the fair grounds for the Olympics. This plan was favored by the city because it did not want to pay for roadway expenses necessitated by the DRA's plan. Theodor Lewald rejected the city's plan for a temporary venue.
Planning continued. Additional aspects of the project would include the expansion of the Sportforum, finishing the half-completed gymnasium, the construction of a large sporting hall and of a new student dormitory.
March's plans for the Olympic Stadium were accepted by the IOC in June 1933.