Documentation Center Nazi Party Rally Grounds

The Documentation Center on the former Nazi Party Rally Grounds (Reichsparteitagsgelände) is not just a museum. It is a place where Nuremberg, a city that became a symbol of Nazi propaganda events, openly and honestly faces its history. The Center is located in the northern wing of the unfinished Congress Hall — the largest surviving monumental building from the National Socialist era.

The Documentation Center Nazi Party Rally Grounds was opened on November 4, 2001, in the presence of Federal President Johannes Rau. Since then, it has become a key place in Germany for studying the causes, connections, and consequences of the Nazi regime. Before the renovation began, the exhibition "Fascination and Terror" was visited annually by more than 300,000 guests from all over the world.

History of the place: from imperial rallies to documentation

The birth of the "City of Imperial Party Rallies" 
On August 30, 1933, Adolf Hitler declared Nuremberg the "City of Imperial Party Rallies." The choice of Nuremberg was not accidental: in the medieval empire, Reichstags were held here, and the Nazis sought to create a symbolic connection between the grandeur of the Holy Roman Empire and their movement.

From 1933 to 1938, six party rallies took place on an area of about 11 square kilometers in the southeastern part of Nuremberg. In those days, the city turned into a center of Nazi propaganda — hundreds of thousands of participants and guests came here to become part of the grandiose staged spectacles.

The architectural ambitions of Albert Speer

The design of the grounds was entrusted to Hitler`s chief architect Albert Speer (with the exception of the Congress Hall, designed by Nuremberg architects Ludwig and Franz Ruff). According to the plan, the complex was to include:

• Zeppelinfeld — a huge field for SA and SS troop formations, with a grandstand inspired by the Pergamon Altar. The main grandstand was 360 meters wide and was completed in 1937. It was from here that Hitler gave his speeches, and in 1945, American troops symbolically blew up the Nazi emblem from the swastika on top of the grandstand.

• Congress Hall (Kongresshalle) — the largest surviving monumental Nazi building. Designed on the model of the Roman Colosseum, it was intended to hold 50,000 people. The building is horseshoe-shaped, reaches a height of 39 meters (70 meters were planned) and a diameter of 250 meters. It remained unfinished — without a roof and partially incomplete.

• Luitpoldarena — a parade field that was completely destroyed during the war. 
• Märzfeld — an unfinished field for Wehrmacht military parades. 
• Deutsche Stadion — a stadium project that was supposed to become the largest in the world, but remained only at the foundation stage. 
• Große Straße — a parade road that was never used for its intended purpose.

After the war: dealing with the legacy

After World War II, the question of what to do with these gigantic structures became a serious dilemma. Demolish or preserve? Ultimately, it was decided to preserve them as a reminder of the crimes of Nazism. Since 1973, the Congress Hall, Zeppelinfeld, and Große Straße have been under state protection as architectural monuments. 

Some buildings, however, did not stand the test of time. In 1967, the city authorities blew up the double row of columns on the main grandstand of the Zeppelinfeld, causing serious damage to the remaining structure. For a long time, the area suffered from erosion, and only in 2019 was a plan approved to preserve the remaining part of the stadium for 85 million euros. 

Architecture of the Documentation Center Nazi Party Rally Grounds

In 1994, the Nuremberg City Council decided to establish the Documentation Center Nazi Party Rally Grounds on the former party rally grounds. In 1998, the international architectural competition was won by Austrian architect Günther Domenig. The son of a Nazi judge, Domenig approached the project not only as an architect but also as a person personally affected by this history. 

His project was provocative and symbolic. He proposed piercing the northern wing of the Congress Hall with a glass-and-steel corridor cutting diagonally through it like a lance. This structure, nicknamed the "Blade," deliberately contrasts with the massive, intimidating style of Nazi architecture. It is a frozen clash of two worlds: monumental granite and light glass, closed ideology and openness, past and present. 

Exhibition: from "Fascination and Terror" to a new concept 

Former permanent exhibition (2001–2020) 
The original exhibition was called "Fascination and Terror" (Faszination und Gewalt). Its main task was the simultaneous examination of two aspects: how the Nazis managed to "fascinate" German society and what terrorist consequences this led to. 
The exhibition of the Documentation Center Nazi Party Rally Grounds included topics: the history of the Nazi Party Rallies, Nuremberg`s role as the "City of Party Rallies," the propaganda films of Leni Riefenstahl ("Triumph of the Will"), the "Nuremberg Laws" of 1935, the activities of Julius Streicher and his anti-Semitic newspaper "Der Stürmer," and the post-war Nuremberg Trials. 

Renovation of the Documentation Center Nazi Party Rally Grounds 

At the end of 2020, the "Fascination and Terror" exhibition was closed for renovation. The building needed expansion, and the exhibition needed updating in light of the latest research. 

Until May 3, 2026, the temporary exhibition "Nuremberg – Site of the Reich Party Rallies. Staging, Experience and Violence" (Nürnberg – Ort der Reichsparteitage. Inszenierung, Erlebnis und Gewalt) was on display. It provides a compact overview of the history of the party rallies and the grounds. 

New permanent exhibition: from May 22, 2026 
From May 22, 2026, the trial run of a completely new permanent exhibition entitled "Nuremberg and the Reich Party Rallies" began. The official opening is on November 4, 2026. 

What has changed: 
A new perspective — the exhibition shows the history of the rally grounds from the end of World War I to the present day. 
Detailed analysis of fascination — it explains how Hitler managed to win the trust of the Germans, revealing the strategy of self-justification after the war. 

Rethinking the Nazi dictatorship — the regime is presented as a "dictatorship of consent," where many supported the system. 
New media — the latest multimedia and interactive formats are used, the exhibition is in English and German. 

Biographies and position — life stories (biographies) of many people. Visitors are encouraged to reflect on their own relationship to history and the present. 

Architecture and space today 

The Congress Hall (Kongresshalle) looks today as it did decades ago — grandiose and menacing. Its gray walls of clinker brick with granite facing, curved in a horseshoe shape, still dominate Lake Dutzendteich. 

The northern wing: here is located the Documentation Center with Domenig`s glass "lance" piercing it. 

The southern wing: today, in addition to the museum, the building houses the Serenadenhof — a concert hall of the Nuremberg Symphony Orchestra (Nürnberger Symphoniker). 

What can be seen on the grounds after the museum: 

Zeppelinfeld is located just 500 meters to the northeast. It is worth seeing the gigantic grandstand from which Hitler addressed the crowd. The field is now used for Norisring motor races and concerts. The entrance is open, this section is a protected monument and open to the public. 

The Documentation Center Nazi Party Rally Grounds in Nuremberg is not a tribute to the past, but an antidote to it. At a time when extremists and populists are raising their heads around the world, this place remains a bastion of historical honesty and clarity. It is a difficult, shocking, and absolutely essential place for anyone who wants to understand how totalitarianism works and how to never allow its return.