The Tower´s History
In the summer the Berliners and their guests take the pleasure in the panorama, highly praised by the authorities, given by the platform on top of the Bell Tower. The panorama stretches over the Olympic complex itself, to downtown Berlin, Spandau, and the Havel Valley, with Potsdam, Nauen, and Henningsdorf in the distance. On a clear day, the hills of the Müggelberge can be seen in the east, and you have the impression of looking down on the Radio Tower. To the south, the gaze falls on the wide expanse of the Grunewald; this view alone constantly draws from non-Berliners the awed question, "Is all that Berlin?" Many people's opinion is that there is no better point to obtain an impression of the beautiful location of Berlin, as a city of woods and lakes in the heart of the Brandenburg countryside.
The Bell Tower is part of the whole complex of the Reichs Sportfield, which stretches over an area of 132 hectares (326 acres) and was laid out for the 11th Olympic Games of 1936.The plans were drawn by Professor Werner March, who got help from his brother Walter March. As the centre-point of these grounds, unchallenged in clarity and blending supremely with the landscape, lies the Olympic Stadium. It replaced the German Stadium built in the middle of the Grunewald race-course in 1913 for the cancelled Olympic Games of 1916. [ Fotoreview ]
The designs of the stadium are based on a thorough study of similar large sports grounds abroad, mainly in America. They had already been completed by 1933, but were altered again in the same year after opposition of the exclusive Union Club was successfully overcome. This made a more extensive design for the stadium and the whole grounds possible.