The Thingstätte on the Heiligenberg is an example of National Socialist architecture.
The Thingstätte was built from 1934-to 35 by the Reich Labour Service and Heidelberg students. The 56 rows of spectators, which slope 25 meters, could seat 20,000 people at the opening. The ceremony site was opened by Propaganda Minister Joseph Goebbels on June 22, 1935. The Thing site was said to have been built on an alleged Germanic cult site, thus passing it off as part of the National Socialist blood and soil mysticism. The stage was to be used primarily for propaganda events. However, the National Socialists soon lost interest in the site. During the Second World War, the Thing site was largely unused, and afterward, it was left to fall into disrepair.
