You can experience the dark side of Nuremberg's history in the Luitpoldhain district in the south-east of the city.

Here, on the vast plains, the Nazi Party's NSDAP rallying centre (known as the "Nazi Party Rally Grounds" in English) was built with a huge central congress hall, which today serves as a documentation and education centre.

10 top hotels in the centre of Nuremberg

Nuremberg thus became one of the main Nazi headquarters in Germany. It was ideologically perfectly placed to do so - it was historically one of the most important European cities and also one of the model German headquarters with mass support for the NSDAP.

The circle of the rise and fall of Nazism also came full circle in Nuremberg. Near the city centre, visit the Nuremberg Trials Museum.

Congress centre for hundreds of thousands of people

Even though the originally intended 11 square kilometres^{were reduced}to a smaller area, hundreds of thousands of party members regularly gathered for party congresses, at which Adolf Hitler was a frequent speaker.

On the area by the Dutzendteich reservoir, the huge Luitpoldaren building was built, along with dozens of other adjacent buildings.

The wide central avenue gave way to a huge area for up to 300,000 people with a large national stadium.

Nazi congresses were held here between 1931 and 1938.

Luitpoldhain today

Only a tiny fraction of the Nazi site has survived. Many of the buildings were razed to the ground during the Allied air raids of World War II, and the rest after the war, when it was no longer worthwhile to maintain the cult of Nazism.

Only one building remained: the Congress Hall, which was one of the smallest buildings. Even so, it is now one of the largest buildings in Nuremberg, which only goes to show the perverse monumentality of the complex.

A documentation centre, a philharmonic hall and an amusement park

Much of the Congresshalle is still being renovated. In the northern part, we recommend visiting the Documentation Centre, where you can learn all about the dark part of German history under Nazi rule.

The Documentation Centre is open daily from 10:00-18:00 and you pay for admission at 7,50 eur. For a complete price list and more information, visit the official website: museen.nuernberg.de/dokuzentrum.

The Nuremberg Philharmonic Orchestra is based in the newly rebuilt southern part of the convention centre, as well as in the 1970s building on the plains of Luitpoldhainpark.

The somewhat controversial Volksfestplatz fairground and stalls were created in the assembly area in front of the congress hall.

Many locals point out that it is not very appropriate to have an amusement park in a location with such a dark history, but the Volksfest has been held here every summer for many years. For information about the attractions, visit the website: volksfest-nuernberg.de

How to get to the Luitpoldhain?

The large area certainly doesn't suffer from a lack of space, so you can park practically anywhere you like without any problems and for free.

From the city centre, you can reach the convention hall directly every few minutes by tram lines 6, 7 and 8, getting off at the "Doku-Zentrum" stop. Detailed information on ticket prices or timetables can be found in the Transport chapter.

Accommodation Luitpoldhain

Part of the former North Campus is the newly built Ramada Nürnberg Parkhotel ****, which is especially great for motorists as it is located outside the centre of Nuremberg, making the journey to it from the motorway quick and easy.