Nazi Party Rally Grounds… Another Great Place to Take the Kids

Kind of creepy having Hitler on my blog, I know.

So, we went to Nuremberg over Thanksgiving for a few reasons… first and foremost was to see some friends who we knew while living in Virginia.  They are currently posted in Paris and wanted to meet up in Nuremberg.   Part of the attraction of Nuremberg is that it has a huge Christmas market, which opened the weekend we arrived … but what really piqued my interest was the Nazi history in this beautiful medieval city. Turns out Hitler chose this place to be the location of the annual Nazi party rallies in the 1930's.  And it also served as the location for the famous Nuremberg Trials of 1945-46 where 23 Nazis were tried as war criminals following the collapse of the Third Reich.  

So, have you ever seen those clips where Hitler is standing before a HUGE audience spewing forth all sorts of angry impassioned nonsense?  That footage was probably taken in Nuremberg. Turns out there wasn't just one rally ground, but there were several arenas, fields, colosseums, etc that he had built exclusively for holding these massive rallies that lasted for several days. And the Germans came by the droves.  The Zeppelin field alone could hold 100,000 people. There isn't much left today, but you can go to the Nazi Documentation center which has a very informative museum and the original colosseum, and the Zeppelin Field, where a few relics remain. 

So here's some old pics of the Zeppelin Field I found online.

 See the giant swastika on top?  The allies blew it up when they came through.

So, here's what remains of the Zeppelin Field today:

Same podium where Hitler stood.  Kinda creepy, but kinda cool

The steps where the Fuhrer descended to give his speech

The museum explained how Hitler was able to gain such a loyal following.  It talked about the cult of personality, where Hitler purposefully made himself to be a larger-than-life figure… a savior of Germany.  On the other hand, the Germans at these rallies, were made to feel like part of an important community, but at the same time, very small and insignificant as individuals. 

An original copy of Mein Kampf,  personally autographed… nice touch. 

An original poster showing the designated signs people had to wear.  The columns read: politician, criminal, immigrant, jehovah witness, homosexual and asocial(?)

Caroline, helpful as always, holds the map for Ben to read as we make our way to the rally grounds.  

Love parallel parking in Europe!!

On to the courthouse.  This was a special treat because I got to go by myself while Ben stayed back with the kids at the apartment.  

Goering, second highest ranking Nazi official next to Hitler is on the far left.  He was to be Hitler's successor.  He committed suicide the night before his execution.  Watched some of his testimony and his denial of any personal responsibility is flabbergasting. 

The very courtroom where the trials were held is still used today for criminal cases.  Wow!

These three scumbags were at the top of the Nazi hierarchy but committed suicide before they could be caught.  Goebbels had his six children and wife poisoned before he took his own life.  Sick, isn't it?

The original benches where the defendants sat

Other high ranking officials that were tried and sentenced were Rudolf Hoss, the commander of Auschwitz, and Hans Frank who we learned about in Poland… ruthless governor of occupied Poland.

And good ole' Walter was there.

It goes without saying that I get an absolute thrill seeing these historical sites… standing in the exact places where such significant events happened.  I can't help it.  It certainly helps to lessen the sting of being far from home during the holidays.