Hitler's megalomaniac structures
Cultural centers, memorials, luxury homes: Many buildings from Nazi times are still standing and are being reused in different ways.
The incomplete Nazi convention hall
It was supposed to be a massive setting for Hitler and his followers to meet once a year at the party conference of the NSDAP. The grounds were intended to accommodate 50,000 people who would cheer their leader, Hitler. But, like other buildings at the time, the ostentatious structure was never completed because of the war.
The 'Colossus' of Prora
The Nazis built their longest structure on the island of Rügen in the Baltic Sea. With a length of 4.5 kilometers( 2.8 miles), the seaside resort was supposed to help the "German worker" relax. Designed by the Nazi architect Clemes Klotz, it was blown up during WWII, but not completely destroyed. Today, its remaining parts have been transformed into youth hostels, luxury and holiday homes.
The imposing entrance of the Berlin fair hall
The Berlin architect Richard Ermisch built the 240-meter-(787-foot)-long fair hall under this broadcasting tower. It was his most enormous project, which he realized according to the ideals of Nazi architecture: classic-monumental with a strict, straight structure and a central hall, and all of huge proportions.
The 'Führer's Building'
Hitler had his primary residence in Munich. For that city, he planned a gigantic boulevard with imposing structures. It never came to be, but traces of his architectural fantasies can still be seen. The so-called "Führer's Building" now houses Munich's music and drama institute, the Hochschule für Musik und Theater.
Luxurious living at the Sophienpalais
The former headquarters of the Wehrmacht were located at this building in Hamburg's Aussenalster area. Now, the building has been transformed into luxury homes for the rich, with interiors designed by German Karl Lagerfeld. Anyone living at the Sophienpalais must have a lot of money — a penthouse costs around € 5 million ($ 5.6 million).
A spectacle for hundreds of thousands
Built between 1934 and 1936, the Berlin Olympic Stadium was Hilter's canvas for the 1936 Olympics when Nazi Germany wanted to project itself as a peaceful and open sporting country. After the games, the stadium was used for propaganda meetings. Today, Berlin's football club Hertha BSC practices here.
A concrete cylinder of massive proportions
For their "world capital," Hitler and his architect Albert Soeer planned a triumphal arc alongside other monumental buildings. However, before construction began, Berlin grounds needed to be tested with 12,000 tons of a heavy, load-bearing structure made of concrete to see whether they could withhold the strain. The arc was never built, but the concrete cylinder still exists in the Tempelhof area.