When the Nazi Party came to power in 1933, Hitler made plans for the construction of a great sports complex in Grunewald forest named the “Reichssportfeld” (Reich Sports Field). Architect Werner March was in charge of the project, assisted by his brother Walter March.

The Reichsportfeld’s reflected the chauvinistic ideology of the Nazi regime not only in its architectural composition, but also through statues and engravings celebrating Aryan athletic youth. The four stone pylons of Maifeld were named “Frisian”, “Franconian”, “Saxon”, and “Swabian” after early Germanic tribes. The Dietrich Eckart amphitheatre furthered the fabricated Greco-German links to the new regime.

When finished, it was 325 acres.   In addition to the central Olympic stadium, there was a vast athletics field, the Maifeld (Mayfield), with a capacity of some 75,000; the Waldbühne amphitheater, which held 25,000 spectators; and more than 100 other buildings to accommodate the various Olympic sports.