The artificially leveled large grass field on the northwestern slope of the Bückeberg was supposed to be developed as a Thingsstätte starting in 1935 after it had already been used as festival grounds for the “Reichserntedankfest” (Reich Harvest Thanksgiving Festival) in 1933. There were a few – even heavily symbolic – reasons for this decision: this area in Lower Saxony was considered by the National Socialists as the country of the free combative and “pure” peasantry. The nearby river course of the Weser, the river that ran entirely through “German country” from its source to its mouth, also played a role, as it could serve as a possible means of arrival for visitors. The railroad lines in the immediate vicinity carried weight, too. – Today, virtually nothing remains of the parts of the facility, which were completed before the end of the war. The area has been under preservation order since 2011.
Start of construction / inauguration
Spring 1935 / non-completed
Architect
Albert Speer, Berlin
Name historical / contemporary
“Reichsthingstätte” Bückeberg
Historical use
Reichserntedankfest” (Reich Harvest Thanksgiving Festival) 1933 – 1937. After 1935 with show drills by the Wehrmacht. [3][4]
Use today
A documentation- and learning site is being planned since 2019 at the site of the former Thingstätte, which will explore the grounds by means of a path network and information panels.
http://bueckeberg-ggmbh.de/
https://www.dokumentation-bueckeberg.de/index.php
[1] Stommer, Rainer, Die inszenierte Volksgemeinschaft, Jonas- Verlag Marburg, 1985, page 233 f.
[2] Gelderblom, Bernhard, „The Reichsthingplatz / The Reichsstätte Bückeberg – Showplace oft he Reich´s Harvest Festival. Die Ästhetisierung von Gewalt und Politik“, in: Bosse, Katharina, Thingstätten, Kerber- Verlag, Bielefeld, 2020, page 222-228
[3] Stommer, 1985, ebd.
[4] Gelderblom/ Bosse, 2020, ebd.