Rumors swirl around this old stadium here at the Olympic Park. Did Adolf Hitler use it as a stage? Let’s uncover the real story of this imposing sports facility. The stadium’s architecture, with its arched colonnades and arcaded passageways of quarry stone, indeed looks like a relic from the National Socialist era. That’s why many associate it with the 1936 Olympic Games. But, it wasn’t involved.
The truth about Olympic Park is that its stadium was built before the Nazi era. Construction started in 1915. Otto Morgenschweis, head of municipal planning in Frankfurt, designed it. Even Russian prisoners of war helped build it. But World War I and the economic crisis halted work until 1925. Finally, in May 1927, a grand sports festival marked its official opening.
Back then, this sports facility in Olympic Park was considered one of the most important. Its location in the countryside of the Judenberge hills made it special. “Judenberge” means “Jewish mountains” in German. It was likely named after the nearby Jewish cemetery. Imagine, in 1927, the grandstand offered stunning views. You could see the Dammvorstadt district and the Oder plain.
The Olympic Park stadium was renamed “Ostmarkstadion” in 1927. This name reflected Frankfurt’s new geopolitical position. After World War I, a new border was drawn. Poland emerged 70 kilometers to the east. During the Weimar Republic, Frankfurt presented itself as a bulwark of Germanness. The eastern border area was called “Ostmark” at the time. This stadium is comparable to Berlin’s “Deutsches Stadion”. Berlin’s stadium opened in 1913. It was replaced by today’s Olympic Stadium in 1934.
Today, Olympic Park and its stadium serve a different purpose. Sports clubs use it. It also houses a public outdoor swimming pool. The Sportzentrum in Stendaler Straße became the high-performance sports location in 1973. The Eigenbetrieb “Sportzentrum der Stadt Frankfurt” is responsible for operating and maintaining the sports facilities. They also manage the sports boarding school.
The Sportzentrum’s training facilities are mainly used by students of the Sportschule Frankfurt. Cadres of the Olympiastützpunkt Brandenburg also train here. The focus sports are boxing, weightlifting, women’s handball, judo, cycling, wrestling, sports shooting, and men’s football. The Olympiastützpunkt Brandenburg ensures high-quality sports medical, physiotherapeutic, training, and movement science support. They also provide social, physiological, and nutritional support. This is for federal and selected state squad athletes in the focus sports.
The OSP coordinates and controls tasks in close cooperation with top sports associations. They coordinate with the German Olympic Sports Confederation (DOSB). The OSP supports training facilities and co-finances trainers. It secures the environment for high-performance sports in Brandenburg. The OSP Brandenburg has locations in Potsdam, Cottbus, Frankfurt, Luckenwalde, and Neustadt. Talents are scouted and trained in 19 Olympic and 4 Paralympic sports. Furthermore, a 228.42 kWp roof system was installed on the Sportzentrum der Stadt Frankfurt.
So, while rumors connect this stadium in Olympic Park to Hitler and the 1936 Olympics, its true history is richer and more complex. From its pre-Nazi construction to its role as a modern sports center, this stadium stands as a testament to Frankfurt’s changing history and enduring commitment to sports.