Berlin: Haunting History, Olympic-style...
I
took my children, ages 11 and 9, to see Berlin's Olympic
Stadium "Olympiastadion in Berlin", built for the upcoming games in 1934-1935.
It was impressive. Perfect. Too perfect. Huge. Very, uh...Nazi-like. One could
obviously see it from the outside, but we also went on a 45-minute guided
tour to get the scoop. The guide was very straightforward about that horrible
part of German history. He pointed out how the German athlete statue is holding
his equipment like a soldier, how the German oak tree at the entrance (a symbol
for German superiority) dominated any Greek laurels (they even handed out
oak leaf wreaths for the gold medal winners to wear on their heads, and sent
them home with an oak seedling to plant). Hitler‚s place was once very throne-like
above the world, the games, the other leaders. The "throne" was demolished
before the stadium was given a historic protection marker in the 1980s.
The 1936 Berlin Olympic Games was when Jesse Owens won four gold medals and
Hitler stomped out in a rage because of his racial bias. Jesse Owens is memoralized
here with photos of him wearing his oak leaf wreath; sitting next to his seedling.
His name is carved in stone along with all the other gold medalists near the
"olympic torch bowl" (which is only lit for "Olympic Games" purposes); a place
of highest honor. In tandem with the Jewish Museum and Holocaust memorials,
it‚s a good stop for children and adults alike to reflect on history˜and what
we hope for in our future. My kids liked seeing the locker rooms and training
areas below, lounging where the VIP's normally sit, trying out the uppermost
row, running up and down the steps, etc. My son would like to come back when
the 70,000 seats are packed and watch a "real" soccer game! 
It
is easy to imagine the excitement. The stadium is still in constant use today,
but they have to be careful about leaving out modern sport equipment and dealing
with modernization needs, in order to not interfere with the historical original.
There is a restaurant and gift shop, plenty of parking, and shaded benches
near the parking lot and entrance where a family can picnic.