1936 Summer Olympics torch relay - wikipedia 1936 Summer Olympics torch relay Games of the XI Olympiad 1936 Summer Olympics torch relay on a German stamp Host city Berlin, Germany Countries visited Greece, Bulgaria, Yugoslavia, Hungary, Austria, Czechoslovakia, Germany Distance 3,187 km Torch bearers 3,331 Start date 20 July 1936 End date 1 August 1936 Torch designer Walter Lemcke No. of torches 3,840 Part of a series on 1936 Summer Olympics Venues Opening ceremony ( torch relay ) Medal table ( medallists, German Olympic Decoration ) Organisation ( Ernest Lee Jahncke, Avery Brundage, Hans von Tschammer und Osten, Carl Diem ) Concerns and controversies In culture : Berlin 36, Charlie Chan at the Olympics, March Violets, Olympia, Olympische Hymne IOC NSRL The 1936 Summer Olympics torch relay was the first of its kind, following on from the reintroduction of the Olympic Flame at the 1928 Games. It pioneered the modern convention of moving the flame via a relay system from Greece to the Olympic venue. Leni Riefenstahl filmed the relay for the award - winning but controversial 1938 film Olympia. Contents 1 Organization 2 Political significance 3 Relay elements 3.1 Torch 3.2 Route 4 Route in Greece 5 Route in Europe 6 Route in Germany 7 Runners per country 7.1 Lighting of the cauldron 8 References Organization The Olympic Flame was introduced to the modern Games in 1928 when it burnt atop a pillar above the stadium in Amsterdam. Four years later the same was repeated in Los Angeles. At both of these events the flame was lit on site at the stadium. Carl Diem devised the idea of the torch relay for the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin that was organized by the Nazi Party under the guidance of Joseph Goebbels. The process was ratified by the International Olympic Committee and has been repeated at all the Games that have followed. Diem and the organizing team realized that there would need to be very detailed plans in order to successfully complete the relay to a standard that would satisfy both themselves and the ruling Third Reich. At the time they were unsure about exactly how they could use the sun 's rays to start the fire as well as how to create a torch that would remain alight whatever the conditions. Research was therefore required into the specialist technologies that would be needed. The route itself would need development and the path down from Olympia was deemed too difficult to access. The organising committees therefore agreed that new roads would be built to ensure that the relay got off to the best possible start. Political significance Siegfried Eifrig carrying the Olympic Flame at the end of the relay Adolf Hitler saw the link with the ancient Games as the perfect way to illustrate his belief that classical Greece was an Aryan forerunner of the modern German Reich. `` The sportive, knightly battle awakens the best human characteristics. It does n't separate, but unites the combatants in understanding and respect. It also helps to connect the countries in the spirit of peace. That 's why the Olympic Flame should never die. '' -- Adolf Hitler, commenting on the 1936 Berlin Olympic Games The event was designed to demonstrate the growing influence and power of the Third Reich. It was internationally viewed as a great success, sufficient for it to be replicated in all Games thereafter. Leni Riefenstahl, a film - maker admired by Hitler, filmed the relay for the 1938 release Olympia. While the film is often seen as a prime example of Nazi propaganda, it has also been hailed as one of the greatest films of all time and won many awards upon its release. Relay elements Torch The Berlin Olympic Torch Sculptor Walter Lemcke designed the 27 cm wood and metal torches. German manufacturer Krupp produced 3,840 copies for the runners, over 500 more than would be needed. It was designed with two fuses to help it cope with different weather conditions and could stay alight for ten minutes, longer than each section of the route. Route On 20 July 1936 the Olympic Flame was lit in Greece by a concave mirror made by German company Zeiss. The Nazi Party wanted to demonstrate their organisational prowess and enhance their influence on various countries along the route of the relay. The torch travelled through south - eastern and central European countries to demonstrate and enhance their influence. The National Olympic Committees ( NOCs ) of the countries along the route all agreed to support the relay which would pass through Greece, Bulgaria, Yugoslavia, Hungary, Austria, and Czechoslovakia and then Germany. These countries would fall under Nazi domination as the second World War began just over three years later. In Austria, a country that would be annexed into the Third Reich less than two years after the relay, the torch was met by major public demonstrations. In all the torch was transported over 3,187 kilometres by 3,331 runners in twelve days and eleven nights from Greece to Berlin. Much of the route was split into kilometre - long sections and it was anticipated that each runner would traverse that distance in five minutes, though some leeway was given to allow for difficult terrain and sparsely populated areas. The names of most of the torch bearers, all of whom were male, were not recorded. For the pass of the Olympic Flame at Delphi, a milestone with the Olympic symbol in the faces was made for a torchbearers ' ceremony in the stadium at Delphi, site of the famous oracle, where the Pythian Games were also held for orders of Carl Diem where a torchbearer should carry the flame along with an escort of three others from there to Berlin. This stone is wrongly indicated like the source of the Olympic symbol of the five interlaced rings. Route in Greece July 20 : Olympia, Pont Ladon, Vytina July 21 : Tripoli, Argos, Corinth, Eleusis, Athens July 22 : Thebes, Livadeia, Delphi, Amphissa, Bralos, Lamina July 23 : Domokos, Pharsalos, Larissa, Elasson, Servia, Kozani July 24 : Veria, Jida, Philippi, Thessaloniki, Lyngovani, Serres July 25 : Sidirokastro Route in europe July 25 ( Bulgaria ) : Kula, Kresna, Gorna Dzumaja, Dupnitsa, Sofia, Slivnitsa July 26 ( Yugoslavia ) : Caribrod, Pirot, Niš, Ražanj, Pojate, Paraćin, Ćuprija, Jagodina, Kragujevac July 27 ( Yugoslavia ) : Topola, Oplenac, Mladenovac, Belgrade, Zemun, Inđija, Novi Sad, Stari Vrbas, Bačka Topola July 28 ( Yugoslavia ) : Subotica, Horgoš July 28 ( Hungary ) : Szeged, Kiskunfélegyháza, Kecskemét, Sári, Soroksár, Budapest July 29 ( Hungary ) : Tát, Szőny, Győr, Moson, Rusovce July 29 ( Austria ) : Kittsee, Hainburg, Aschbach - Markt, Vienna, Stockerau July 30 ( Austria ) : Maissau, Horn, Göpfrür, Waidhofen, Heidenreichstein, Reingers July 30 ( Czechoslovakia ) : Nová Bystřice, Jindřichův Hradec, Soběslav, Tábor, Benešov, Prague July 30 ( Czechoslovakia ) : Straskov, Terezín, Teplice Route in Germany Date Map July 31 ( day 1 ) : Peterswald Peterswald July 31 ( day 1 ) : Pirna July 31 ( day 1 ) : Dresden July 31 ( day 1 ) : Meissen July 31 ( day 1 ) : Großenhain Pirna Dresden Meissen Großenhain July 31 ( day 1 ) : Elsterwerda July 31 ( day 1 ) : Liebenwerda July 31 ( day 1 ) : Herzberg July 31 ( day 1 ) : Jüterbog July 31 ( day 1 ) : Luckenwalde July 31 ( day 1 ) : Trebbin Elsterwerda Liebenwerda Herzberg Jüterbog Luckenwalde Trebbin August 1 ( day 2 ) : Berlin August 1 ( day 2 ) : Lustgarten August 1 ( day 2 ) : Olympic Stadium Berlin Lustgarten Olympic Stadium Runners per country # Country Runners Greece 7003110800000000000 ♠ 1,108 Bulgaria 7002238000000000000 ♠ 238 Yugoslavia 7002575000000000000 ♠ 575 Hungary 7002386000000000000 ♠ 386 5 Austria 7002219000000000000 ♠ 219 6 Czechoslovakia 7002282000000000000 ♠ 282 7 Germany 7002267000000000000 ♠ 267 Lighting of the cauldron Two urns in the centre of Berlin, within two long rows of large swastika flags, were lit by 400m - runner Siegfried Eifrig on 1 August 1936. The urns burnt for the duration of the Games and served as the starting point for the final relay runner. Fritz Schilgen, a three time 1500m champion, was suggested by former German athletics president Karl Ritter von Halt as the final runner. Schilgen, viewed as a `` symbol of German sporting youth '', was accepted by the three advisory boards. One of these, the aesthetics commission, included film - maker Riefenstahl on the panel. References ^ Jump up to : `` Torches ''. olympic-museum.de. Archived from the original on 24 July 2012. Retrieved 30 July 2012. ^ Jump up to : Heald, Claire ( 9 May 2012 ). `` London 2012 : What is the Olympic torch relay ? ''. BBC News. Retrieved 30 July 2012. ^ Jump up to : `` The Olympic flame and torch relay '' ( PDF ). The Olympic Museum. 2007. Retrieved 31 July 2012. ^ Jump up to : Bowlby, Chris ( 5 April 2008 ). `` The Olympic torch 's shadowy past ''. BBC News. Retrieved 30 July 2012. Jump up ^ Hines, Nico ( 7 April 2008 ). `` Who put the Olympic flame out ? ''. London : timesonline.co.uk. Retrieved 30 July 2012. ^ Jump up to : Weigant, Chris ( 14 April 2008 ). `` The Olympic Torch Relay 's Nazi Origin ''. Huffington Post. Retrieved 30 July 2012. Jump up ^ Schwarcz, Joe ( 27 July 2012 ). `` London 2012 torch ' lighter, brighter, safer ' ''. Montreal Gazette. Retrieved 4 August 2012. Jump up ^ `` All - Time 100 Movies ''. Time. 12 February 2005. Retrieved 30 July 2012. Jump up ^ `` Leni Riefenstahl ( 1902 - 2003 ) Part 2 ''. The German Way & More ``. Retrieved 30 July 2012. Jump up ^ `` London 2012 : Torch relay heading for 1,000 places ''. BBC News. 18 May 2011. Retrieved 30 July 2012. ^ Jump up to : `` Siegfried Eifrig - Last Berlin Torch Bearer from 1936 Dies ''. German Road Races. Retrieved 30 July 2012. Jump up ^ `` The XI Olympic Games Berlin, 1936 Official Report Volume I '' ( PDF ). library.la84.org. Retrieved 29 October 2017. Jump up ^ `` Fritz Schilgen made Olympic history -- the final runner of the Olympic torch relay in Berlin 1936 ''. BMW Berlin Marathon. 18 September 2005. Retrieved 30 July 2012. Olympic torch relays Summer Games 1936 1940 1948 1952 1956 1960 1964 1968 1972 1976 1980 1984 1988 1992 2000 2008 route 2012 2016 2020 Winter Games 1952 1956 1960 1964 1968 1972 1976 1980 1984 1988 1992 1998 2002 2006 route 2014 2018 2022 Olympic torch designs Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=1936_Summer_Olympics_torch_relay&oldid=835200521 '' Categories : 1936 Summer Olympics Olympic torch relays Talk Contents About Wikipedia ไทย Edit links This page was last edited on 7 April 2018, at 05 : 40. About Wikipedia

Question: when did the first torch relay take place
Answer: 1936 Summer Olympics