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A celebrated racetrack makes a comeback in Berlin

April 6, 2018

The Avus grandstands are a piece of Berlin's history. Berliners cheered on car races here until 1998. After years of decay, the restoration of the grandstand begins on Monday (6.4).

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AVUS-Tribüne
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/P. Zinken

The demolition of the collapsing roof begins on Monday night, when the Avus motorway at the foot of the stands will close at 10 p.m. Construction will then continue in stages. The work should be completed by the 100th anniversary of the race track in 2021. A private investor plans to invest up to five million euros in its redevelopment.

The new grandstands will host an event venue. Here, event attendees can celebrate while looking over the motorway. An average of 90,000 vehicles per day drive through Grunewald between the Radio Tower and Nikolassee.

Auto Union Silberpfeil 1934
A "Silberpfeil" on the Avus racetrack in Grunewald 1934Image: Audi

When it opened in 1921, the Avus was Germany's first racetrack. The grandstands were erected between 1936 and 1937. Silver race cars shot across the 8.3-kilometer track at almost 400 km/h. By 1998, the stands were useless and rotten. Today, the Avus is used exclusively as part the city highway that runs through Berlin.

fm/sh (Berliner Morgenpost, bild.de)