1936 Berlin Olympics
| File:1936 berlin logo.jpg | |
| Host city | Berlin, Germany |
|---|---|
| Nations participating | 49 |
| Athletes participating | 3,963 (3,632 men, 331 women) |
| Events | 129 in 19 sports |
| Opening ceremony | August 1 |
| Closing ceremony | August 16 |
| Stadium | Olympic Stadium |
The 1936 Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XI Olympiad, were held in Germany. The Summer Olympics were opened on 1 August, 1936 in Berlin by Adolf Hitler, Germany's Head of State. The 1936 Winter Olympics took place in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Bavaria. Richard Strauss, the world-famous composer of "Salome" and "Der Rosenkavalier", composed the Olympic Hymn.
History
National Socialist Germany outdid the Los Angeles Games of 1932 by constructing a vast new 100,000-seat track and field stadium, 6 gymnasiums, and many other smaller arenas. Athletes from 49 nations came to Berlin numbering 3961, setting a new record. The Olympic flame relay from Athens, Greece to Berlin was re-instituted and filmed for the modern games.
Officials installed a closed-circuit television system, radio network that reached 41 countries, and many other forms of expensive high-tech electronic equipment.[1] Filmmaker Leni Riefenstahl, a favorite of Hitler, was commissioned for $7 million [2] by the German Olympic Committee to film the Games. Her film, entitled Olympia, introduced many of the techniques now common to the filming of sports. The film remains the International Olympic Committee's official record of the Berlin Games.
Medal count
Germany led the wins with 33 gold, 26 silver and 30 bronze metals. These are the top ten nations that won medals at these Games.
| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | align=left| File:Flag of the NSDAP (1920–1945).svg Germany (host nation) | 33 | 26 | 30 | 89 |
| 2 | File:US flag 48 stars.svg United States | 24 | 20 | 12 | 56 |
| 3 | File:Civil Ensign of Hungary.svg Hungary | 10 | 1 | 5 | 16 |
| 4 | File:Flag of Italy (1861-1946).svg Italy | 8 | 9 | 5 | 22 |
| 5 | File:Flag of Finland.svg Finland | 7 | 6 | 6 | 19 |
| File:Flag of France.svg France | 7 | 6 | 6 | 19 | |
| 7 | File:Flag of Sweden.svg Sweden | 6 | 5 | 9 | 20 |
| 8 | File:Merchant flag of Japan (1870).svg Japan | 6 | 4 | 8 | 18 |
| 9 | File:Flag of the Netherlands.svg Netherlands | 6 | 4 | 7 | 17 |
| 10 | File:Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Great Britain | 4 | 7 | 3 | 14 |
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German Olympia Honour Badge
The German Olympia Honour Badge, Medal of Honour or Olympic Decoration () is a civil decoration of Germany awarded to administrators of the IV Olympic Winter Games in Garmisch-Partenkirchen and the 1936 Berlin Olympics. The award was not intended for actual participants in the Olympic Games, but rather in recognition of those who had orchestrated the "behind the scenes" preparations and work for the events. It was awarded in three classes to natives and foreigners:
- 1st Class; A total of 767 were awarded; the neck order was only worn as such on award day, after that, as with the other classes, miniaturized on a medal or ribbon bar.
- 2nd Class; A total of 3,364 were awarded.
- German Olympic Commemorative Medal (); A total of 54,915 were awarded.
Gallery
- 1936 Berlin Olympics IX.png
Poster
- Olympische Spiele Berlin.png
The stadium
- Badge for Judges of the Berlin Olympic Summer Games 1936.png
Badge for the judges of the games
- Olympische Sommerspiele Berlin 1936 II.png
The "Hindenburg" over the Brandenburg Gate
- Olympische Sommerspiele Berlin 1936.png
The German youth gathered at the Lustgarten at noon on 1 August 1936, the first day of the Berlin Olympics, and then wandered ceremonially to the Olympic Stadum.
- 1936 Berlin Olympics III.jpg
- 1936 Berlin Olympics IV.jpg
- 1936 Berlin Olympics VIII.jpg
- 1936 Berlin Olympics X.jpg
See also
Further reading
- Die Olympischen Spiele 1936 in Berlin and Garmisch-Partenkirchen, in several volumes, Germany, 1936.
External links
- Leni Riefenstahl: Olympia – Fest der Völker (1936), Film, 1938, YouTube