Thingstätte Germany

Legendary

An open-air amphitheater, originally built for Nazi propaganda events, now a historical monument.

Photo by Travelinho

Stand on the stage here and speak in a normal voice, and someone sitting in the very top row can hear you clearly. There are no speakers or microphones.

The architect, Hermann Alker, designed it that way on purpose. The building behind the stage acts like a wall that bounces sound back toward the crowd.

It's a skill borrowed from the ancient Greeks, who built their outdoor theaters the same way. But the people who built this one had a very different goal.

The Thingstätte sits on top of the Heiligenberg, a forested hill across the Neckar River from Heidelberg's old town. Its name comes from the "Thing," an ancient Germanic gathering where people met outdoors to make decisions.

When the Nazis came to power in 1933, Joseph Goebbels, the head of their propaganda ministry, borrowed that idea. He started a movement of outdoor plays and rallies meant to make Germans feel loyal to the Nazi party.

Those events needed giant stages. Heidelberg's was built by workers from the government's labor service, starting with a ceremony on May 30, 1934.

It opened on June 22, 1935, the night of the summer solstice. About 20,000 people filled the stone seats and the slopes around them as Goebbels gave a speech surrounded by flags and torches.

He called it "a true church of the Reich." Goebbels had earned his university degree in Heidelberg years earlier.

The movement fizzled out fast. By 1936, even the city's mayor renamed the site, and during World War II an anti-aircraft gun tower was built here.

After the war, the amphitheater sat mostly empty. For years, though, it came back to life once a year.

On Walpurgis Night, the evening of April 30, thousands of people climbed up the hill for an unofficial party with bonfires, music, and fire dancers. Crowds grew as large as 15,000.

Safety became a serious worry. The last celebration was held in 2017, and the city banned the party after that.

Today the Thingstätte is a protected monument. It's kept not to celebrate what it was built for, but so people can see it and remember.

Hike up through the woods from the Philosophers' Walk, or take the road up the hill. Stand on the stage and test the acoustics with someone in the top row. Then walk a few minutes to the ruins of St. Michael's Monastery, much older stones on the same hilltop.

Sources: Wikipedia, University of Notre Dame Nanovic Institute, and Landmark Scout.