The question of what to do with monuments erected by and dedicated to political regimes that are no longer in power is an issue that many former Soviet Union countries are working through, but the issue exists on an entirely different level in Germany. The National Socialist German Workers’ Party, aka the Nazi Party, controlled Germany for over a decade, during which time the monuments they constructed and subsequently left behind aren’t even close to being the most significant vestiges of the era. Nonetheless, these monuments have created difficult questions around what it means to teach and remember the lessons of the era without celebrating them, while simultaneously enabling something that will make sense for the communities where they’re located in the present and for the future.
In Nuremberg, this issue is especially prevalent with the presence of the Kongresshalle, which was to have been the centerpiece of the vast Nazi party rally grounds. This half-finished structure literally looms over the city, forcing the issue of how to deal with this era of the country’s history in a way that few other cities in Germany have had to face, even with monuments that have been directly linked to the Nazi era. Despite these difficulties, the Kongresshalle has come to represent how such monuments can be transitioned to make sense in the present while still possessing the potential for further transformation in the future.
A Monument That Was Never Fully Completed
Designed to seat over 50,000 people and taking up 11 square kilometers, the Kongresshalle utilized the Coliseum in Rome as an inspiration, with colonnades and layers of archways that are sometimes borderline replicas of the source. Adolf Hitler himself is pictured in the dedication of the cornerstone for the Kongresshalle in a ceremony that took place in September of 1935, and pictures of the model with a complete roof and seating are readily available.
World War II pulled many of the resources that had been dedicated to the completion of the structure, which is why it only reached about half its planned height of 70 meters. Work on the roof of the structure was never even begun, but the structure is still enormous. It is the second largest remaining building of the Nazi Party, and arguably the most significant. The larger Colossus of Prora was planned as a Nazi holiday resort, but ultimately not tied nearly as close to the ideology of the party as the Kongresshalle.
In the years after World War II ended, many different ideas around what to do with the structure were proposed, which ranged from seeing the Kongresshalle converted into a shopping mall to a training facility. Ultimately, it came to be used for storage, offices, a concert hall, and a fire station. Since 2001 though, the main occupant of the space has been the Dokumentationszentrum Reichsparteitagsgelände museum, also known as the Documentation Center Nazi Party Rally Grounds. The presence of the museum has been able to effectively provide context around what was planned for the structure, while also becoming a part of the present day community for both residents and visitors.
Making Sense in the Present to Enable a Future
The exhibition in the museum conveys a comprehensive picture of National Socialist tyranny as well as the history of the structure. The Center’s permanent “Fascination and Terror” exhibit provides visitors with a sobering look at the horrifying reality of the Third Reich. It ends with a panoramic view over the Kongresshalle from a suspended platform that helps viewers see what might have been in more ways than one.
Modern media such as computer animations, films and touchscreens, as well as photos and documents are contained throughout the museum, all of which illustrate the history and background of the Nazi era. Guided and audio tours are available for visitors, while the front desk allows them to purchase postcards, DVDs and various publications on the topic of National Socialism in general, but especially in Nuremberg.
The museum isn’t the only thing going on at the Kongresshalle though, as different events are held throughout the year. These events range from exhibitions to learning labs to special presentations. For the most part, they aren’t tied to the past of the Kongresshalle, and that has allowed the structure to form a new identity for the people who see and experience it in the present.
This identity is one that some people have trouble correlating with the past of the Kongresshalle, given that it was erected by a party that was declared illegal after World War II. In numerous countries, Nazi flags are still banned. However, the museum and the types of events that it hosts on a regular basis signify what it can mean to make sense of structures like the Kongresshalle in the present in order to enable a future that incorporates but is ultimately about more than their past.
An Uncertain Legacy
Some monuments that are no longer a fit for their communities can be moved to different locations or to museums to protect the history they represent, but it’s not feasible to move the Kongresshalle in any real way. The option to do anything from tear down the structure to complete it in a different way than originally envisioned will always exist, but some people are committed to finding a middle ground between these two extremes. There are active efforts in Germany on a national level to preserve the buildings and structures of this era in their present state for future generations so that they can serve as places of learning.
Exactly how the Kongresshalle will be able to represent and educate visitors about the Nazi era remains to be seen, but it contains monumentous potential to define what that can and should look like for cities and even the entire country. Doing so will enable Germany to properly remember and move on from the era in a meaningful way.
