Berlin was once again chosen by the IOC to host the 1936 Summer Olympic Games in 1931, so the German government decided to rebuild the Reichssportfeld as the main stadium, which was designed by Werner Mach. The Nazi German government built the Reichssportfeld as the Olympic complex, and Werner Mach continued to be responsible for its design and construction, assisted by his brother Walter Mach. Werner Maher demolished the Deutsches Stadion and built the new Olympic Stadium on the same site, with half of the structure built 12 meters below ground level. The stadium, with a capacity of 110,000 spectators, was connected to the Olympic Square and the Marathon Gate on the east side, and the oval-shaped spectator stands opened on the west side with the Plaza de Mayo and the Olympic Clock Tower.
Construction of the Imperial Stadium took place between 1934 and 1936 and covered an area of 1.32 square kilometers. The stadium's facilities included the Olympic Stadium, the Plaza de Mayo, and the Berliner Waldbühne (Forest Theater), as well as 150 ancillary buildings for different sports.
May Square, a 112,000-square-meter lawn on the west side of the Olympic Stadium, was built as a venue for large-scale gymnastics events with a capacity of 250,000 people (with an additional 60,000 on the west side), as well as the Olympic Clock Tower and the Langemarck Hall. High-quality stone from the lowlands of the Alps was used to build the square's perimeter wall, as well as the sculpture of a warrior holding a horse (by German sculptor Josef Wackerle), which was displayed outside the arena.
During the Berlin Olympics, the Plaza de Mayo was used as a venue for the equestrian events and hosted several group demonstrations of gymnastics that were heavily influenced by Nazi propaganda.
The Olympic Clock Tower was built on the west side of the Olympic Stadium, in the center of the Plaza de Mayo. The 77-meter-high top of the clock tower offers views of the entire city of Berlin and serves as an observation point for police, medical personnel, media and officials during the games. The clock tower houses the Olympic bronze bell with the five rings, the Brandenburg Gate and the inscription "Ich rufe die Jugend der Welt!" (German: Ich rufe die Jugend der Welt!), which also serves as the Olympic Games emblem.
The Langemarck Hall, built in the West Stand of the Olympic Stadium, is decorated with giant flags and coats of arms to commemorate all those who lost their lives at the Battle of Langemarck on November 10, 1914, on the pillars of the hall.
Built on the banks of a glacier in Berlin's Ice Age Valley, the Forest Theater is modeled after an ancient Greek amphitheater from the 3rd century B.C. It was named the Dietrich-Eckart-Bühne, in honor of the political figure Dietrich Eckart. The theater can accommodate 22,000 people, the audience in the middle of the box for the Führer's special package.
During the Olympic Games it served as a venue for holding competitions in the gymnastics events, as well as hosting a variety of cultural events. On August 1, 1936, German leader Adolf Hitler officially opened the Berlin Olympics and the flame was lit by athlete Fritz Hilgen. This was the first time that the Olympic Games held a relay of the flame from Olympia, Greece, through Bulgaria, Yugoslavia, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, Austria and other countries, to the end of the Berlin, Germany, the route is about 3,000 kilometers long. The idea of the flame relay was initiated by Carl Diem, a political adviser to Joseph Goebbels, the Nazi German government's propaganda minister, who was responsible for organizing the Olympics.
The 4 million tickets for all events were sold out, and for the first time, the games were broadcast on television and radio, with 25 large television screens, 20 radio vans and 300 microphones in Berlin, and radio programs in 28 languages. Leni Riefenstahl filmed the documentary "Olympia" for the Berlin Olympics at this venue. In April 1945, the Soviet Red Army launched the Battle of Berlin, an attack on Nazi Germany in which the Soviets set fire to the Third Reich archives stored in the Olympic Clock Tower, which was badly damaged by the fire. The Berlin Olympic Stadium, on the other hand, had only minor damage caused by machine guns and was one of the few buildings to remain intact during World War II.
After the war, the Olympic Square was used as the headquarters of the British military occupation force. British troops occupied and vandalized Third Reich sports institutions and facilities, including the Reich Sports Training College and the German Sports Institute, and until 1994, the British military held annual grand national celebrations in the Plaza de Mayo. During this period, German first division soccer matches were played at the arena, and local team Hertha Berlin has been playing at the arena since 1963. The Plaza de Mayo is also used for soccer, rugby and polo matches. The Forest Theatre is used for traditional concerts, film screenings and sometimes boxing matches.
British engineers dismantled the Olympic Clock Tower in 1947, but fortunately it was rebuilt in its original form in 1962. The Olympic Clock, once used as a target for anti-attack weapons, was restored in 1956, but it no longer rings. Reconstruction of the Olympic Clock Tower took place between 1960 and 1962, and was again designed and reconstructed by Werner Maher according to the building's original form. The new clock tower became an important tourist attraction in Berlin, with a visitor center on the lower floor that introduced the history of the stadium. A series of improvements were made to the stadium for the 1974 FIFA World Cup, where some of the matches of the first round of the World Cup were held, and the stadium saw West Germany win the FIFA World Cup in the final.In 1998, a debate arose in Berlin over whether the Berlin Olympic Stadium should be demolished and rebuilt, while others argued that it was not a Nazi symbol and preferred to keep the stadium. Some argued that the stadium itself was not a symbol of the Nazi Party and favored its preservation. In the end, the authorities decided to keep the stadium and remodel it, and FIFA selected it as one of the venues for the 2006 World Cup. The Berlin city council awarded a 45 million dollar contract for the renovation and operation of the stadium to a consortium formed by WALTER BAU-AG and DYWIDAG. After the reconstruction, the stadium will be managed by the Berlin city council, Hertha Berlin and the consortium in a joint venture company***.
Berlin Olympic Stadium reconstruction project by the German GMP firm designed by German Chancellor Gerhard Schr?der on July 3, 2000, presided over the construction ceremony. The project used 70,000 cubic meters of concrete and 20,000 cubic meters of prefabricated reinforced concrete, 12,000 cubic meters of the venue's original concrete was dismantled, and 30,000 cubic meters of stone was re-polished. The project also resulted in a new 68-meter long, 37,000-square-meter canopy covering the auditorium and a 3,500-ton roof structure supported by 20 steel pillars. The canopy is made of light-permeable materials that allow sunlight to penetrate into the arena. The stadium was lowered by 2.65 meters and resurfaced with 90,000 cubic meters of sand in order to provide a better visual experience for spectators. Considerable attention was paid to the historical elements of the Berlin Olympic Stadium, in particular the restoration of the original natural stone structures and the preservation of key buildings such as the Olympic Clock Tower and the Marathon Gate. The stadium was also upgraded with artificial lighting and acoustics, and 113 VIP seats, a restaurant and two parking lots were added, providing 630 parking spaces***. After criticism, the track was repainted from red to blue. The total cost of the modernization and expansion of the venue was 242 million euros.
The reconstructed Berlin Olympic Stadium has a capacity of 76,000 spectators, making it Germany's second-largest stadium after the Sigtner Iduna Park in Dortmund (formerly: Westfalenstadion). Ceremonies to celebrate the completion of the reconstruction took place on July 31 and August 11, 2004, the former with a cultural evening featuring Nina and Daniel Barenboim, the latter with a friendly match between Hertha Berlin and a foreign team, and the latter with a friendly match between the German and Brazilian national soccer teams on September 8, 2004, at the stadium.
During the 2006 World Cup, the venue hosted six of the matches, including the quarter-final between Germany and Argentina on June 30, 2006, which was won by an exchange of penalties, and the final between three-time champions Italy and 1998 champions France on July 9, which was a 1-1 draw that lasted until extra time, when Zidane was allegedly attacked by his opponent Materazzi in a verbal attack five minutes into the second half. Five minutes into the second half, Zinedine Zidane was suspected of being verbally provoked by his opponent Materazzi, and was sent off with a red card for an uncontrollable attack on his opponent. Italy eventually won the FIFA World Cup on penalties.