ABSTRACT
The sports venues of the 1936 Olympic Games left Berlin a signifi cant but diffi cult legacy. The grounds of the former Reichssportfeld, especially the Olympic Stadium, are important reminders of the history of the city of Berlin and the German state. They show us that sport cannot be non-political. In a staged spectacle the image of a tolerant and open regime was played to the world, but behind the illusion Jews and political dissidents were persecuted systematically and preparations were made for the Second World War, with its devastating effects on Europe and beyond.
