The Olympiastadion (Olympic Stadium) is a sports stadium in Berlin. There have been two stadia on the site: the present facility, and one that 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.

For the 1936 Summer Olympics, and to satisfy his own political plans, Hitler's National-Socialist (Nazi) Party built the Olympiastadion surrounded by the massive Olympischer Platz. During World War II these buildings suffered little damage. After the war, the United Kingdom military occupation used it as its headquarters until 1994.

Aside from its use as an Olympic stadium, the Olympiastadion has a strong footballing tradition. Historically, it's the ground of club Hertha BSC of Berlin. It was also used for 3 matches in the 1974 Football World Cup. It will host six matches in the 2006 Football World Cup and was renovated for that reason. German Cup's final match is held each year at the Olympiastadion in Berlin.

The stadium is sometimes seen as controversial, as it was constructed under the Third Reich, and is a concrete, historical manifestation of Adolf Hitler's personal political dreams in 1936.

(Source: Wikipedia)

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