The last time I visited the Olympia Stadium was around nine years ago, during the Maccabi Games that were held in Berlin the same place where 70 years ago Jewish athletes were forbidden to play during the 1936 Summer Olympics.
This time, I am inspired by the sport summer that just finished in Berlin. Even for people who aren´t into football, the UEFA 2024 edition was impossible to avoid. The passionate atmosphere, the bets, the show of flags being waved on the street, the events organised on this occasion just kept me out late in the night screaming loud in support of my favorite teams about whom I did not know too much except that they were representing languages I love (France, for ever, Spain, by default).
The trip started at the U2 Olympiastadium metro station. If you are not too much into sports, and if you and especially your child love trains, there you can also find a small museum, UBahn Museum, unfortunately only opened for 6 hours, the second Saturday of the month (yes, I know, those are the rules and no one can do anything against it).
The iconic gate, where everyone wants to take a picture of two, looked a bit empty at this time of the day. After the reunification of Germany, given the tainted past of the place, there were many discussions at the political level about how to integrate the place into the new national, united Germany. In the end, the spirit of order prevailed and a renovation process was started that lasted until the beginning of the 2000s. It was finished just in time for the FIFA 2006 World Cup, the summer when I put my feet on German soil for the first time ever.
As we entered the premises, there were ongoing works cleaning up after the latest championship. However, the intensive work did not discouraged visitors, alone or part of guided tours. The Stadium is offering a lot of tours, general but also specialized, that can be booked in advance
here.
The alley of statues was initially built on the occasion of the 1936 Olympic Games representing different
sport activities and competitors, in the expressionst artistic style of the Nazi Germany.
The ideals of beauty and strength of the time as per the political aspirations are represented, which make it an interesting history of art exploration. Visiting the place in the company of a seasoned historian may be more than useful to anyone looking to really comprehend the
symbols and their specific context.
The same goes for the bell that maintains the lettering and symbols of Nazi Germany. The five-meter high steel bell was lifted into the bell tower as an Olympic symbol.
After the restauration works, the old surroudings and their style were largely maintained, in the spirit of the pre-war architecture. Although the plans for building an Olympic Stadium in Berlin dated from the beginning of the 20th century, the outburst of WWI and the various financial limitations delayed the official inauguration until the mid-1930s.
From the ground level, one can use the elevator for moving freely between different locations. Especially if you are here for the duration of a soccer game, you may need to pay attention to your designated seat. The stadium has different lounges that off season can be also rented for various private and business events.
But although the facade, alleys and even the elevator may look for another time, the stadium is a splendid work of modern architecture.
The home of Hertha BSC, it has the highest all-seated capacity in Germany, with 74,475 seats distributed among various seating rows.
It is provided with the latest technology in artificial illumination and sound equipment, thus its high attractivity as location for international music concerts. Rolling Stones love to perform here, and so does Madonna. Michael Jackson performed here during his world tour, and also Tina Turner, U2 and Metallica. The amphitheater of the nearby
Waldbühne is also a favorite location for concerts.
Addittionally, the stadium offers to its guests an underground garage with a capacity for over 600 cars.
There are different categories of tickets on sale for the soccer game, and the good news is that for children until 13 years of age there are free of charge. A smart way to grow up the pool of fans, isn´t it?
In-between games, the whole place is wrapped in silence, but one of my secret Berlin dream is to be able one day to take part at the soccer game, to see what really happens here. I had the chance to watch quite often soccer fans in Germany, mostly surrounded by police, but I am still missing that direct experience point.
For this trip too, I am done, leaving the place with just another reminder about how many connections are and will always be between sports, history, politics and our everyday life.
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