Now quicker European access

Ghosts of past haunt Berlin's decaying Olympic stadium

The Olympic stadium in Berlin echoes with heroes and hatreds of another era

April 5, 1998
Web posted at: 10:54 p.m. EDT (0254 GMT)

From Berlin Bureau Chief Bill Delaney

BERLIN (CNN) -- Of the two dozen or so Olympic stadiums left standing in the world, none is as haunted as the Olympic stadium in Berlin, where the silence will always echo with the heroes and hatreds of another era.

The stadium was the centerpiece of the 1936 Olympics, which were meticulously designed by German leader Adolf Hitler to show the world the supremacy of Nazism and the German race. His grandiose dreams were embodied in its very architecture.

But in fact, the stadium because a monument to the absurdity of Hitler's claims. For it was on the track of the Berlin stadium that black American Jesse Owens humiliated the Nazis by winning four gold medals.

These days, the stadium is, literally, falling apart at the seams. And if it is not renovated or replaced, most believe that the dream of Berliners of hosting another Olympics will remain unfulfilled.

CNN's Bill Delaney takes us on a tour of Gemany's decaying Olympic stadium 2 min., 10 sec. VXtreme video

"We need a new, better Olympic stadium," says Ingrid Stahmer, Berlin's senator for sport. "The question is whether we have a historical site just to look at or whether we have a stadium (where) you can have sports."

Estimates are that it will cost $366 million to renovate the current structure and $600 million to build a new one.

But in a reunited city that's rebuilding itself in many places, where new government and corporate buildings are crowding in, the Olympic stadium remains something of an orphan. Neither the federal or city governments have so far committed the money necessary to modernize this place of ghosts.

Related site:

Note: Pages will open in a new browser window

• Berlin Olympics 1936

External sites are not endorsed by CNN Interactive.

---

 

---

Sound off on our message boards & chat

© 1998 Cable News Network, Inc.
A Time Warner Company
All Rights Reserved.

Terms under which this service is provided to you.
Read our privacy guidelines.