Where Hitler's Crowds Once Roared

My mother’s brother settled in Nuremberg after the Second World War, and beginning in my college years I visited him and his family from time to time. During those visits I got to know Nuremberg and the surrounding towns, including Bamberg, Rothenburg, and the Black Forest. I explored on my own and, when my uncle was free, we ventured farther afield together.Nazi Party Rally Grounds, Nuremberg, GermanyYet somehow, during all those visits, I never made it to the former Nazi Party Rally Grounds. I knew they were there, of course, but it seemed impolite to ask. I could have gone on my own, but for whatever reason, I didn’t.That changed in April 2024 on a cold and windy day. One of my cousins from Nuremberg, my uncle’s son, graciously served as my guide. The site felt stark, desolate, and impossibly vast, its scale resisting any attempt to capture it in photographs. Only a handful of visitors were there, but the immensity of the place chilled me. I tried to imagine the grounds filled with…