1Nazi Party Rally Grounds, Nuremberg
No. 1 — Nazi Party Rally Grounds, Nuremberg. On the lists of 6 of 6 AIs; median place there: 3.5. It is the only place with both counts: over a million people use the grounds, yet far fewer enter the history exhibition.
Did you know
The Congress Hall was meant to seat 60,000 people but was never finished. Its north wing now holds the Documentation Centre, which opened in 2001. The same grounds host the Norisring car race, held since 1947, and the Rock im Park festival.
- What it is
- Huge Nazi rally grounds in Nuremberg, now a park, event site and museum.
- Its edge
- It has a real exhibition count to set against the site's visitors.
- Who should know
- Useful for anyone who wants to see how few visitors choose the history over the view.
- Site vs exhibition visitors1M+ vs 167,069 (2025)
Why it is here
Before the exhibition closed in 2020, the Documentation Center counted 311,588 visitors in 2019. That is the last full pre-closure year, and it shows how many people chose to enter the history exhibition.
The rally grounds were planned on a giant scale: a stadium for 400,000 people and a Congress Hall for 50,000. The rallies drew nearly a million people between 1933 and 1938. That scale is why the site is still so large.
Did you know
The Zeppelin Grandstand's pillar colonnades were demolished in 1967, so the grandstand now looks different from its wartime photographs.
History
After a US Army victory parade at the Zeppelin Field grandstand on 22 April 1945, the giant swastika on top was blown up. The city museum says it was a signal to the whole world that National Socialism was at an end.
Keep in mind
The grounds are huge and spread out. The Congress Hall was never finished. Most of the Great Road is now a car park. The structures are free and always open, but the Documentation Center has opening hours.
Lonely Planet notes that Allied bombing destroyed much of the grounds. Only parts remain, so a visit takes some imagination. The page shows an 8/10 score from two expert reviews.
Where to go further
Start with the new permanent exhibition, "Nürnberg und die Reichsparteitage", inside the documentation center. Then walk the grounds and read the information panels, which explain the history of each site.
