Olympic Stadium ( Berlin ) The Olympiastadion ( Olympic Stadium ) is a sports stadium in Berlin , Germany . There have been two stadia on the site : the present facility , and one that is called the Deutsches Stadion which was built for the aborted 1916 Summer Olympics . Both were designed by members of the same family , the first by Otto March and the second by his son Werner March . It is the second biggest stadium in Germany behind Signal Iduna Park . It is the home stadium of the Hertha Berlin football team playing in the German 2 . Bundesliga . The current Olympiastadion was originally built for the 1936 Summer Olympics in the southern part of the Reichssportfeld ( today Olympiapark Berlin ) . During World War II , the area suffered little damage . After the war , the British military occupation used the northern part of the Reichssportfeld as its headquarters until 1949 . From 1951 to 2005 , the Olympischer Platz had a giant antenna transmitting for all the portable radios in Berlin . Aside from its use as an Olympic stadium , the Olympiastadion has a strong footballing tradition . Historically , it is the ground of club Hertha BSC since 1963 . It was also used for 3 matches in the 1974 FIFA World Cup . It hosted six matches , including the final , in the 2006 FIFA World Cup and was renovated for that reason . The German Cup final match is held each year at the Olympiastadion . The stadium sees use in other sports as well ; at one point it held the world record for the attendance of a baseball game , thought to be over 110 , 000 . History . 1916 to 1934 : Deutsches Stadion , old Olympiastadion . During the 1912 Summer Olympics , the city of Berlin was designated by the International Olympic Committee ( IOC ) to host the 1916 Summer Olympics . Germany ' s proposed stadium for this event was to be located in Charlottenburg , in the Grunewald Forest , to the west of Berlin — thus the stadium was also known as " Grunewaldstadion " . A horse racing - course already existed there which belonged to the Berliner Rennverein , and even today the old ticket booths survive on " Jesse - Owens - Allee " . The government of Germany decided not to build in the nearby Grunewald forest , or to renovate buildings that already existed . Because of this desire , they hired the same architect who originally had built the " Rennverein " , Otto March . March decided to bury the stadium in the ground ( " Erdstadion " , in German ) . However , the 1916 Olympic Games were cancelled due to World War I . In the 1920s the first buildings of a school , the " Deutsches Sportforum " ( German Sport Forum ) , dedicated to the teaching of professors of physical education and the study of sport science were built northeast of the stadium site . From 1926 to 1929 , Otto March ' s sons ( Werner and Walter ) were assigned to build an annex for these institutions , though the finalization was delayed until 1936 . 1936 : Reichssportfeld . In 1931 , the International Olympic Committee made Berlin the host city of the 11th Summer Olympics . Originally , the German government decided merely to restore the earlier Olympiastadion ( German Stadium ) of 1916 , with Werner March again retained to do this . When the Nazis came to power in Germany ( 1933 ) , they decided to use the Olympic Games in 1936 for propaganda purposes . With these plans in mind , Hitler ordered the construction of a great sports complex in Grunewald named the " Reichssportfeld " with a totally new Olympiastadion . Architect Werner March remained in charge of the project , assisted by his brother Walter March . Construction took place from 1934 to 1936 . When the Reichssportfeld was finished , it was 1 . 32 square kilometres ( 326 acres ) . It consisted of ( east to west ) : the Olympiastadion , the Maifeld ( Mayfield , capacity of 50 , 000 ) and the Waldbühne amphitheater ( capacity of 25 , 000 ) , in addition to various places , buildings and facilities for different sports ( such as football / soccer , swimming , equestrian events , and field hockey ) in the northern part . Olympiastadion . Werner March built the new Olympiastadion on the foundation of the original Deutsches Stadion , once again with the lower half of the structure buried 12 meters underground . The capacity of the Olympiastadion reached 110 , 000 spectators . It also possessed a special stand for Adolf Hitler and his political associates . At its end , aligned with the symmetrically - designed layout of the buildings of the Olympischer Platz and toward the Maifeld , was the Marathon Gate with a big receptacle for the Olympic Flame . To the east of the stadium , there were two field hockey stadia that hosted the competitions that were won by India . Maifeld . Maifeld ( Mayfield ) was created as a huge lawn ( 112 , 000 square metres , 28 acres ) for gymnastic demonstrations , specifically annual May Day celebrations by Hitler ' s government . Maifeld was surrounded by 19 metres of land elevation ( 62 ft ) , even though the Olympiastadion ( to the east ) was only 17 metres ( 55 ft ) high . The total capacity was 250 , 000 people , with 60 , 000 in the large stands that extended at the west end . Also located there were the Langemarck - Halle ( below ) and the Bell Tower ( rising high ) . The walls were built with sturdy stone from the area of the Lower Alps , and also feature equine sculptures ( work of Josef Wackerle ) . During the 1936 Olympics , the Maifeld was used for polo and equestrian dressage events . After World War II the British military occupation forces ( Berlin Infantry Brigade ) annually celebrated The Queen ' s Official Birthday on the Maifeld and used it for a variety of sporting activities including Cricket . Starting in 2012 , Maifeld became home to the Berlin Cricket Club . Bell Tower . The Bell Tower crowned the western end of the Reichs Sportfield planted amid the tiers of the Maifeld stands . It was 77 metres ( 247 ft ) high . From its peak could be observed the whole city of Berlin . During the games , it was used as observation post by administrators and police officials , doctors and the media . In the tower was the Olympic Bell . On its surface were the Olympic Rings with an eagle , the year 1936 , the Brandenburg Gate , the date 1 . - 16 . August and a motto between two swastika s : " I call the youth of the world " and " 11 . Olympic Games Berlin " – although the games were the 10th ( Summer ) Olympics , they were the Games of the XI Olympiad . The Bell Tower was the only part of the Reichssportfeld that was destroyed in the war . The Third Reich used the tower ' s structure to store archives ( such as films ) . The Soviet troops set its contents on fire , turning the tower into a makeshift chimney . The structure emerged from the fire severely damaged and weakened . In 1947 , the British engineers demolished the tower , however reconstructed it faithfully in 1962 . The Olympic Bell ( which had survived the fire and remained in its place in the tower ) fell 77 metres and cracked and has been unable to sound since then . In 1956 , the bell was rescued , only in order to be used as a practice target for shooting with anti - tank ammunition . The old bell survives to this day and serves now as a memorial . The restoration of the tower was carried out from 1960 to 1962 , once again by the architect Werner March , following the original blueprint s . The present tower became an important tourist destination offering a panorama of Berlin , Spandau , the Havel Valley , Potsdam , Nauen and Hennigsdorf . The Langemarck - Halle . This consisted of huge halls built under the stands of the Maifeld . Pillars were raised on which hung flags and shields commemorating all the forces that participated in a battle fought in Langemark ( West Flanders , Belgium ) on November 10 , 1914 , during the First World War . Since 2006 , the ground floor is home to a public exhibit providing historical information on the area of the former Reichssportfeld . Waldbühne , the Forest Theatre . The Waldbühne was built in 1936 as part of the preparation for the Berlin Olympics . The tarraces were molded into the glacial river banks of the Berlin glacial valley . It is a reproduction of the old theater of Epidaurus ( 3rd century BC ) . The theater was then named " Dietrich - Eckart - Bühne " in homage to Dietrich Eckart . Seating for up to 25 , 000 spectators goes down to a depth of 30 metres ( 97 ft ) ; in the middle section Adolf Hitler ' s box once stood . The surroundings were decorated with statues by Adolf Wamper . During the Olympics , gymnastics competitions and a myriad of cultural programs were staged in the Waldbühne . Today , it is used as one of Europe ' s biggest concert venues . The Berlin Philharmonic has staged the Waldbühne concert in June every year since 1984 . Since 2009 , its operator has been CTS Eventim . Berlin , 1936 Summer Olympics . On August 1 , 1936 , the Olympics were officially inaugurated by the head of state Adolf Hitler , and the Olympic Flame was lit by the athlete Fritz Schilgen . While the Olympic Flame had been used for the first time in Amsterdam 1928 , in Berlin 1936 a marathon - like tour of the Olympic Torch was introduced , from Olympia in Greece , crossing six frontiers with a journey of 3000 km to Berlin , through Greece , Bulgaria , Yugoslavia , Hungary , Czechoslovakia , Austria and Germany . The original idea of this Olympic torch relay was Carl Diem ' s , who was a notorious political advisor to Nazi Propaganda Minister Joseph Goebbels , specialising in Olympic affairs . Four million tickets were sold for all the events of the 1936 Summer Olympics . This was also the first Olympics with television transmission ( 25 giant screens were scattered all over Berlin ) and radio transmissions in 28 languages ( with 20 radio vans and 300 microphones ) . Among the sport competitions , one of the most memorable events was the performance of the African - American track and field athlete Jesse Owens , representing the United States of America . Owens won the gold medal in the 100 , 200 , long jump and 4 x 100 relay . During those games , they also hosted the equestrian jumping , football , and handball events . The 1936 Olympics held in the stadium were immortalised in the film " Olympia " ( 1938 ) by Leni Riefenstahl . 1939 to 1945 : World War II . The Olympiastadion was one of the few buildings that survived not just in a recognisable form , but almost untouched after the Second World War . It only suffered the impact of machine gun shots . The most significant battle around the Olympiastadion was in April 1945 when the Soviet army fought to capture it . This was during the great final battle of the Second World War in Europe , with the total invasion of Berlin as the Allies ' target . 1945 to 1994 : Occupied Berlin . After the war , the former Reichssportfeld became the headquarters of the British military occupation forces . The British forces settled in the northeastern buildings designed by the March brothers in the 1920s , which the Third Reich had used for official sport organisations such as the Reich Academy of Physical Training and extended by 1936 , adding the " Haus des deutschen Sports " ( House of German Sports ) and other buildings . Soon , the British forces renovated war - damaged buildings but also converted interiors to their specific needs ( one gymnasium was converted into a dining hall , another into a garage ) . From then until 1994 and their departure , British forces held an annual celebration of The Queen ' s Official Birthday in the Maifeld with thousands of spectators from Berlin present . During the 1960s , American military and high school football teams introduced hundreds of thousands of Berliners to American football at the stadium in exhibition games . During those years , Bundesliga ( football ) matches were played in the Olympiastadion , with Hertha BSC as local team . In the Maifeld , several competitions of football , rugby and polo were staged too . In the summers , the Waldbühne resumed its classical music concerts , and playing movies . The theatre was also used as an improvised ring for boxing matches . Hertha BSC . In 1963 , the Bundesliga was formed , and Hertha BSC participated by direct invitation , leaving its old stadium ( the " Plumpe " ) to use the Olympiastadion . On August 24 , it played the first local match against FC Nuremberg , with the final score 1 : 1 . However , in 1965 , the German Football Association found Hertha BSC guilty of bribery and relegated them to the Regional Leagues . Hertha had illegally bribed several football players in an attempt to add them to the team , following their disinterest in playing in Berlin because of the construction of the Berlin Wall ( 1961 ) . In 1968 , Hertha returned to the first division , and to the Olympiastadion , and in 1971 sold " Plumpe " . The second half of 1970s was quite successful for Hertha BSC Berlin . In 1979 , it reached the semifinals of the UEFA Cup , but was defeated by Red Star Belgrade . Hertha reached the finals of the German Cup twice ( 1977 and 1979 ) . In the 1980s , Hertha had a declining role in the Bundesliga , and fell to the Regional Leagues in 1986 , although they later recovered reaching the Second Division ( 1988 – 1989 ) . With the demolition of the Berlin Wall in November 1989 , a spontaneous feeling of sympathy between Hertha and FC Union from Eastern Berlin arose , which culminated in a friendly match at the Olympiastadion with 50 , 000 spectators ( January 27 , 1990 ) . In 1990 , Hertha returned to the First Division , although it fell again to the Second Division from 1991 until 1997 . Since 1997 , the club has improved greatly , climbing up the Bundesliga table and qualifying for the UEFA Champions League , with matches against top European teams like Chelsea and A . C . Milan , increasing the international prestige of the club . 1974 FIFA World Cup . Some matches of Group A ( West Germany , Chile , East Germany and Australia ) of the 1974 FIFA World Cup were played in the Olympiastadion . The third match , Australia vs Chile , was played in torrential rain . The hosts , West Germany , won the tournament . 1994 to 2005 . In 1998 , Berliners debated the destiny of the Olympiastadion in light of the legacy it represented for Germany . Some wanted to tear the stadium down and build a new one from scratch , while others favoured letting it slowly crumble " like the Colosseum in Rome " . Finally , it was decided to renovate the Olympiastadion . FIFA then chose it as one of the venues of the 2006 FIFA World Cup . The State of Berlin hired a consortium composed of " Walter Bau AG " and " DYWIDAG " that won the € 45 million franchise . The consortium took charge of the operation of the facilities together with Hertha BSC and the Government of Berlin after the remodelling . On July 3 , 2000 , the renovation began with a ceremony presided over by the Chancellor Gerhard Schröder , accompanied by Eberhard Diepgen ( Berlin Mayor ) , Franz Beckenbauer and Prof . Dr . Ignaz Walter . The Reconstruction . 70 , 000 cubic metres ( 92 , 000 yd ) of concrete and 20 , 000 cubic metres ( 26 , 000 yd ) of pre - cast reinforced concrete elements were used . 12 , 000 cubic metres ( 16 , 000 yd ) of concrete was demolished and removed and 30 , 000 cubic metres ( 39 , 000 yd ) of natural stone was refurbished . The roof was extended to cover a total of 37 , 000 square metres , with 20 roof - supporting columns carrying a weight of 3 , 500 tonnes of steel . With the intention of creating a more intimate atmosphere for football games , the playing field was lowered ( even more ) by 2 . 65 metres ( 8 . 7 ft ) ; approximately 90 , 000 cubic metres ( 120 , 000 yd ) of sand was excavated . The lower tier of seating in the stadium was demolished and rebuilt at a completely different angle of inclination . The conservation factor of the Olympiastadion as a historical monument was also considered , especially with respect to the preservation of the natural stone blocks . After criticisms , the colour of the athletics track around the game field was changed from red to blue , reflecting the colours of Hertha BSC . On January 9 , 2002 , construction workers found an unexploded World War II bomb buried beneath a section of seating . It was defused outside the stadium by Berlin police . Technical details . The new Olympic Stadium has the highest all - seated capacity in Germany at 74 , 500 . The only stadium to have more total capacity is Dortmund ' s Signal Iduna Park ( formerly Westfalenstadion ) ( though the Westfalenstadion has both seating and standing areas , and its all seated capacity of 65 , 718 is lower than the Olympiastadion ) . The roof rises 68 metres over the seats and is made up of transparent panels that allow sunlight to stream in during the day . The western portion ( on the Marathon Arch ) is open to reveal the Bell Tower to the spectators . The Olympiastadion was equipped with the latest technology in artificial illumination and sound equipment . It has 113 VIP stands , a set of restaurants , and two underground garages ( for 630 cars ) . The total cost of the remodelling and amplification was €242 million . Reinauguration and post - reinauguration . The reinauguration celebrations of the new Olympic Stadium were carried out on July 31 , 2004 and August 1 , 2004 . On that day , Saturday , the party began with performances from P ! nk , Nena and Daniel Barenboim . It culminated at night with the opening ceremony . On day two , friendly matches were played between different categories of the club Hertha BSC and visiting teams . On September 8 , 2004 , Brazil played Germany . Current tenants . The stadium is currently used as the home venue for the Fußball - Bundesliga ' s Hertha BSC . Since 1985 , the stadium has hosted the finals of both the DFB - Pokal and its companion women ' s tournament , the Frauen DFB Pokal . However , it did not host the 2010 final of the Frauen DFB Pokal , which was held at Cologne ' s RheinEnergieStadion as part of an experimental test to host the event in a different city . The stadium also hosts the Internationales Stadionfest , which also served as an IAAF Golden League event until 2010 , it is currently unknown if it will be a part of the new IAAF Diamond League . The stadium also served as home to the Berlin Thunder , an American football team in NFL Europa , until the league ' s operator , the U . S . National Football League , closed down the money - losing competition in 2007 . The stadium was a possible venue for the 2011 UEFA Champions League Final , along with the Allianz Arena in Munich before Wembley Stadium in London was decided as the venue in January 2009 . FIFA World Cup 2006 . This was the location of the World Cup final between France and Italy and the site of Zinedine Zidane ' s infamous headbutt . Political considerations . The Olympiastadion was designated to play the final match of the 2006 FIFA World Cup . This took place exactly 70 years after the 1936 Summer Olympics . Peter Steinhorst , chief technician on the project , said to the BBC : " Whenever you enter , you will still know this was the site of the 1936 Games . You will pass all the old Nazi sculptures " . " The history is there , the totality of the buildings is there . The whole Nazi landscape has not disappeared " , added the sports sociologist Günther Gebauer . " There are towers like in a fortress , and people who come will always ask where the Führer sat . " . Germany ' s Interior Minister Otto Schily , who attended the opening party , concluded : " The stadium recalls the dark elements present in its creation . But in 2006 the world will look upon to modern , democratic , and open Germany " . Other uses . Concerts . The stadium has been used for pop , rock and electronic concerts . Australian rock band AC / DC performed at the stadium in 2010 . British rock band Genesis performed at the stadium in 2007 . German rock artist Herbert Groenemeyer performed at the stadium in 2007 , 2008 and 2011 . American rock band Guns N ' Roses performed at the stadium in 1992 . American pop artist Madonna performed at the stadium in 2008 . American pop artist Michael Jackson performed at the stadium in 1997 . English rock band The Rolling Stones performed at the stadium in 1982 , 1990 , 1995 , 1998 , 2003 and 2006 . American soul artist Tina Turner performed at the stadium in 2000 . Canadian pop artist Celine Dion performed at the stadium in 2008 . Irish rock band U2 performed at the stadium three times . The first was on June 15 , 1993 during their ZooTV Tour , the second was on July 7 , 2005 during the Vertigo Tour in front of a sold out crowd of 70 , 443 people and the third was on July 18 , 2009 during the U2360° Tour in front of a sold out crowd of 88 , 265 people . English electronic band Depeche Mode performed at the stadium on June 10 , 2009 during their Tour of the Universe in front of a sold out crowd of 65 , 657 people . They will perform at the stadium for the second time on June 9 , 2013 as part of their upcoming Tour 2013 . The 2009 show was recorded for their live albums project " Recording the Universe " . American rock artist Bruce Springsteen performed at the stadium in 2012 . American rock band Bon Jovi will perform at the stadium on June 18 , 2013 as part of their upcoming Because We Can - The Tour . Literature . Audiobook . " Olympic Stadium Berlin " by Andreas Janowski . Published by Andreas Janowski Verlag under the label " sights - on - audio " www . sights - on - audio . com