Spectacle, architecture and place at the Nuremberg Party Rallies: projecting a Nazi vision of past, present and future

Abstract

Nuremberg, perhaps more than any other place, stands central among iconic images of Nazi Germany. The Nazi regime went to great lengths to inscribe its basic tenets into Nuremberg's urban landscape. While many are already familiar with the role Nuremberg played as the site of the annual Nazi Party Rallies, few realize that the Nazi building programme in Nuremberg placed great emphasis on redesigning the city's historical centre in addition to developing the extensive rally grounds on the city's edge. This article explores the architectural form, performative function and motivating ideologies associated with these extensive building programmes in Nuremberg and, rather than seeing them as two separate projects, highlights the intimate connections between the construction of the rally grounds on the city's edge and the concurrent redesign of the city's historical centre. Although seemingly irreconcilable in terms of style and scale, these efforts to build and rebuild in Nuremberg were actually seen as complementing elements in the regime's programme to create and project images of historical greatness, current political legitimacy and promises of future grandeur.