KONGRESSHALLE NÜRNBERG
The Kongresshalle in Nuremberg, originally planned as a monumental assembly building for the NSDAP, remained unfinished and today stands as a testament to National Socialist megalomania. After decades of varied uses and vacancy, it is now being transformed into a vibrant cultural venue, providing space for artists and the Nuremberg State Theater. This transformation combines historical engagement with a forward-looking cultural utilization.
Date
2011
Location
Nürnberg, Deutschland
The Congress Hall on the former Nazi Party Rally Grounds in Nuremberg is the largest remaining structure from the Nazi era and is considered Nuremberg’s most significant architectural monument of modern times. Originally conceived for mass gatherings of the Nazi Party (NSDAP), the building was designed to hold up to 50,000 people.
Architects Ludwig and Franz Ruff designed the hall in reference to the Roman Colosseum—but at a far greater scale. With a footprint of 275 by 265 meters and a planned height of 70 meters, the building would have accommodated twice as many people as its ancient model.
The original design featured a four-story, horseshoe-shaped layout, flanked by two auxiliary buildings and an entrance hall. The inner arena was to be surrounded by tiered seating, all oriented toward a central speaker’s platform. Above it, a 400-meter-long colonnade with 88 monumental pillars was planned. The building was to be topped by a 25,000-ton steel roof structure with a span of 170 meters, with a central skylight intended to illuminate the speaker from above—a staged display of power.
Construction began in 1935 during the Nazi Party rallies. Due to the marshy subsoil, approximately 22,000 concrete piles, each up to 16 meters long, had to be driven into the ground. These extensive foundation works took two years. From 1937 onward, around 1,400 workers were continuously active on the construction site. The Congress Hall was a prestige project of the Nazi regime, staged as a national economic stimulus program. As such, only German companies were commissioned—including major construction firms like Philipp Holzmann, Hochtief, and Siemens-Bauunion. Forced laborers were not used for this project.
With the outbreak of World War II, construction work ceased in 1940. At that point, the interior was unfinished, the upper stories of the auxiliary buildings were missing, and neither the roof nor the entrance hall had been built. What remained was a monumental shell of a building—in essence, a vast complex of staircases, corridors, and utility rooms, possibly the largest staircase structure in Germany.
Despite the destruction of much of Nuremberg, the Congress Hall survived the war largely intact. In the following decades, the structure’s future was the subject of ongoing debate—ranging from demolition to proposals for a shopping mall or sports arena. By 1973, demolition was off the table: the State of Bavaria designated the hall a historical monument.
Since then, the building has been used in various ways—as a storage facility, exhibition space, and venue for theater performances and concerts. Since 1963, the left wing has housed the Nuremberg Symphony Orchestra’s concert hall. The right wing became home to the Documentation Center Nazi Party Rally Grounds in 2001.
In December 2021, the Nuremberg city council initiated a major transformation: the Congress Hall is to become a center for the arts and cultural exchange. Construction began in fall 2023, starting with hazardous material removal and structural stabilization. In December 2024, work commenced on a new performance venue in the inner courtyard, which will serve as an interim home for the State Theater during its renovation. Afterward, the venue will continue to host cultural programming. In addition, over 7,000 square meters across four of the building’s 16 segments will be developed as “enabling spaces”—production and presentation areas for Nuremberg’s independent art and culture scene. These developments are accompanied by a comprehensive participation process involving local cultural stakeholders.
Photographic Documentation – Then and Now
I have been documenting this transformation since 2025. My photographic work focuses on the existing structure, the interventions, and the intersections of past and present.
I first explored and photographed the vacant parts of the building in 2011—one of my earliest photographic projects. This article presents a selection of those early images, alongside current photographs from 2025. Over time, I will continue to update this post with new documentation as construction progresses.
2011
2025
Sources and Further Reading
Historical Background
- Wikipedia article on the Congress Hall (Nuremberg): Wikipedia
- City of Nuremberg – Construction history: nuernberg.de
- Zweckverband Reichsparteitag (Construction association for the Nazi rally grounds): Wikipedia
Labor and Materials 4. Documentation Center / City Museums: Forced labor in the Nazi Rally Grounds area: museen.nuernberg.de 5. Historical Lexicon of Bavaria: historisches-lexikon-bayerns.de
Post-War Use and Preservation 6. City of Nuremberg – Cultural redevelopment: nuernberg.de 7. Memorial Forum (Gedenkstättenforum) on preservation debates: gedenkstaettenforum.de
Current Redevelopment and Cultural Use 8. gmp Architects: gmp.de 9. Marktspiegel Nürnberg (local newspaper): marktspiegel.de 10. State Theater Nuremberg: staatstheater-nuernberg.de
Additional Resources 11. Wikipedia article on the Documentation Center: Wikipedia
