Albert Richter arena

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The Albert-Richter-Kampfbahn was a cycling track in Halle , on which cycling races were held from 1951 to 1967. It was named after the Cologne cyclist Albert Richter , who was allegedly murdered by the Gestapo in 1940 .

history

Before the Albert-Richter-Kampfbahn was built, there were two cycling tracks in Halle, an open cement track in the Olympiapark Merseburger Straße (1886-1919) and an open wooden track on Böllberger Weg (1930-1938), designed by the Münster architect Clemens Schürmann . From 1946, cycling races took place on a track in the Kurt Wabbel Stadium , which, however, was also used for other sports such as football or athletics .

From 1949 the plan was developed to build a permanent cycling track on a site that had previously been a parade ground and from 1926 a football pitch for FC Wacker . The football club had leased the site, and in 1945 it became the "property of the people". The track should be completed by the time the 3rd World Festival of Youth and Students takes place . It was built by the Bau-Union Halle with the support of numerous volunteers who worked 3000 hours. The exact costs of the railway can no longer be determined; however, the construction costs could be reduced because the grandstands were already in place.

The open track was 400 meters long, made of cement, six meters wide, with a curve superelevation of 2.30 meters. The facility had 12,000 standing and 1,700 seats. The first event took place on July 28, 1951. At the suggestion of the BSG Stahl Halle it was named Albert-Richter-Kampfbahn ; Richter had started in races on the track on Böllberger Weg in the 1930s. The official opening in front of 15,000 spectators took place on August 5, 1951 at the beginning of the World Festival. Albert Richter's father, Johann Richter, was also invited to this opening.

As a result, numerous races took place on the track, including standing races , although the suitability of the track for this type of competition was discussed. From 1955 the events were organized by the Halle cycling collective , which included the Vorwärts sports association , BSG Motor Albert Richter and SG Turbine . The primary goal was to promote young talent. In the summer of 1955, an all-German event took place in which youth cyclists from VSV Hildesheim , Merkur Hildesheim and RC Adler Cologne took part, including drivers Ernst Streng , Lothar Claesges , Heinz Lauff and Hans Ommer. In 1958, the GDR railway championships were held in Halle.

Due to the concentration of GDR cycling on the bases in Leipzig , Karl-Marx-Stadt , Berlin and Cottbus , the activities on the Albert Richter arena in Halle decreased in the following years. In addition, access to the railway through the neighborhood of the barracks of the motor rifle regiment "Fritz Weineck" of the NVA was only possible to a limited extent, despite the ongoing commitment of the Halle cycling official Karl Wesoly against this situation. From 1964 the cycling track was only allowed to be used for cycling once a week from 5 p.m., and later on two days a week. Around 70 young drivers trained there under the Olympic champion from 1936 in tandem race , Ernst Ihbe . The last standing race on the Albert Richter arena was held on July 4, 1967; Among the winners of the youth races was the future sprint world champion Jürgen Geschke .

In the meantime, building materials were stored in the interior of the railway by the NVA, then the army used the interior as a sports field for their relatives. The curves of the cycling track have been honed. After 1990 the site lay fallow. In 1996/1997 an administration building for the Central German State Insurance Company was built at the same location .

A sports facility of the same name existed in Schwerin until 2005 .

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Illustrated Hallesche Sportgeschichte. Böllberger Weg cycling track (1930–1938). In: SSB Halle. 2006, accessed December 9, 2018 . (pdf)
  2. ↑ a b c d e f g Illustrated Hallesche Sportgeschichte. Albert Richter Kampfbahn (1951–1967). In: SSB Halle. 2006, accessed December 9, 2018 . (pdf)
  3. ↑ a b Chronicle - Dept. of Cycling. In: radsport.motor-halle.de. July 28, 1951. Retrieved December 9, 2018 .
  4. ↑ a b Renate Franz : The forgotten world champion. The enigmatic fate of the cyclist . Covadonga , 2007, ISBN 978-3-936973-34-1 , pp. 169 .
  5. ↑ Schwerin's places: instead of cycling races, have a barbecue. In: svz.de. July 25, 2017. Retrieved December 9, 2018 .

Coordinates: 51 ° 29 ′ 46.1 ″  N , 11 ° 58 ′ 58.2 ″  E