Hermann Alker: Design for a “Thingstätte” near the stadium of Karlsruhe Polytechnic. Illustration from the newspaper article: Thingstätten der Südwestmark von R. Alker, in: Volksgemeinschaft, May 10, 1934, no. 136, p. 10.
Thingstätten — named after historical sites where assemblies and court meetings used to be held — were conceived by the regional offices of the Reich Propaganda Ministry in 1934 as gathering places. The mass events there were intended to foster a sense of national unity in line with National Socialist ideology. Oversight of Thingstätten was the responsibility of the national association of open-air and recreational events, Reichsbund der Deutschen Freilicht- und Volksschauspiele e.V., founded in 1933, directly accountable to Reich Minister Joseph Goebbels. Approximately 400 Thingstätten were planned, with detailed designs drawn up for 60 to 70 of them, though only a few were actually constructed. Notable examples include the Waldbühne on the Olympic grounds in Berlin and the Thingstätte on Heiligenberg, a hill near Heidelberg. Hermann Alker (1885–1967), a professor of architecture at Karlsruhe Polytechnic, who had previously designed the grandstand for the academic sports stadium, was commissioned to design the Karlsruhe Thingstätte shown here in a layout drawing. He was also responsible for designing and building the Thingstätte near Heidelberg. The Karlsruhe Thingstätte was planned to be at the northern end of a north–south axis that was to include the university stadium, a parade ground, and a fairground. The design envisioned a separation of the Thingstätte from the rest of the facilities by a small belt of woodland. The Thingstätte was to have a diameter of 120 meters and seat 10,000 in an amphitheatrical arrangement. The adjacent parade ground to the south and the fairground were to be situated near the existing stadium grandstand. The concept envisioned events with “mass choruses” of hundreds of people from among the “celebrating crowds.” A total capacity of 17,000 to 20,000 people was estimated and construction was planned to begin by the end of 1935. The Thingstätten movement was discontinued before it could proceed, however, due to a lack of sufficient support for its vision. as