Mariendorf harness racing track
The Trabrennbahn Mariendorf is an equestrian facility founded in 1913 in the Berlin district of Mariendorf in the Tempelhof-Schöneberg district . In the 1920s it developed into one of the largest and most popular trotting tracks in Germany.
Location and architecture
The architect of the trotting track was August Endell , who developed the design in 1911/12 and completed the original layout in 1913. The main entrance to the site is at the intersection of Kruckenbergstrasse / Hirzerweg, the postal address is Mariendorfer Damm 222.
The buildings today consist of the open Kaiserlich-Endell'schen grandstand from 1913, the glazed Robinson grandstand from 1936, the Champions Teahouse from 1961, the glazed main grandstand house with five floors from 1974 as well as the stable casino and the remaining stable buildings in the south. The entire complex is under monument protection and is included in the Berlin monument list.
The Trabrennbahn Mariendorf is next to the Trabrennbahn Karlshorst and the one in Gelsenkirchen one of the few courses in Germany where the race is almost exclusively clockwise (right course).
history
development
After it was founded in 1913, the Jewish publisher Bruno Cassirer saved the trotting track from bankruptcy in the first year of operation and subsequently invested heavily in the facility. He remained chairman of the Mariendorf Trotting Club until 1933, member of the board of the Trotter Owners Club and the Breeders Club, and Chairman of the Supreme Authority for Trotter Breeding (OBT).
By 1933, the Mariendorf trotting track developed into one of the central locations in what was then the Tempelhof district (today's Mariendorf district). Even after 1933, in the time of National Socialism , the trotting track continued and even during the Second World War , in which several grandstands were damaged, races were held here, probably until 1945. The first post-war trotting took place in Berlin Instructions from the Soviet Military Administration (SMA) took place on July 1, 1945 on the railway in Karlshorst . In Mariendorf, racing was resumed on July 3, 1946 after the facility had been restored. The trotting track experienced a second boom in the post-war years . In the 1960s, many prominent harness racers such. B. Eddy Freundt and Gerhard Krüger on the Mariendorfer facility.
The plant today
In the 1990s, the income of the Mariendorf harness racing track fell sharply. The reason given was the shift to internet betting, and after the fall of the Wall, many racehorse owners from the western part of Berlin were able to hire their horses in the Berlin area. The financial situation of the trotting track operator deteriorated increasingly, and the management of the operator came under public criticism. The operator demanded to be able to sell areas of the trotting track area in order to be able to keep the racing track running. First of all, areas in the north of the site were separated off, rededicated in accordance with building planning law and the “Rosenhof” senior citizens' residence built on top of it. In the meantime, even a complete sale of the trotting track property and a move to Karlshorst were planned, but this was discussed very controversially in the political committees and rejected. Ultimately, the core property was retained in its function and only in the south were further areas separated and rededicated, on which a shopping center and residential buildings were built. Part of the old stables could be preserved and converted.
The current management, led by the owner and chairman of the board, Ulrich Mommert, is trying to economically renovate the Mariendorf harness racing track and German harness racing. As a result of these efforts, there has been a steady increase in the number of visitors to the Mariendorf harness racing track since 2014.
Derby week
The highlight of the German trotting calendar is the "Derby Week", which is held every year on the last weekend in July and the first week of August for seven days by the first Berlin trotting club. The final highlight of this series of events will take place on the second Sunday with the German Trotting Derby .
Breeders Crown
The "Breeders Crown" is the great performance comparison for German trotting horses. Breeders, owners and trainers are given the opportunity to evaluate the success of their efforts in these national races. The "Crown of Breeders" was launched in 1998 and has been held again since 2013 on the Mariendorfer Bahn. In 2015, the date of the event was postponed from November to the last week of September. In the races divided according to age and gender of the horses, the best German horses compete during the “Breeders Crown”.
Transport links
The racecourse can currently be reached by public transport via the Alt-Mariendorf underground station ( line U6 ) and continue with the bus lines M76 or 179 to the Trabrennbahn stop on Mariendorfer Damm.
For larger events, additional bus trips are also offered from the Alt-Mariendorf underground station to directly in front of the visitor entrance on Hirzer Weg. There was a major tram turning loop there until the 1960s . After the tram operation was stopped, the turning loop was converted for bus traffic. The bus terminus was reduced in size around 1998/1999 with the construction of the “Rosenhof” senior citizens' home.
See also
Web links
- Trabrennbahn Mariendorf in the Berlin State Monument List
- Trabrennbahn website at rennbahn-berlin.de, accessed on August 24, 2020
- Information on sights at www.berlin.de, accessed on August 24, 2020
- Short report on the trotting derby from August 2016 at www.welt.de, accessed on August 24, 2020
- Ralf Klee: Perfect world in the hippodrome with color photos from 1943 in one day : Zeitgeschichten on Spiegel Online , February 27, 2009, accessed on August 24, 2020
Individual evidence
- ↑ Information on Bruno Cassirer
- ↑ one day Zeitgeschichten from Spiegel Online
- ↑ [1] (PDF; 20 kB)
- ↑ [2] (PDF; 20 kB)
Coordinates: 52 ° 25 ′ 43.8 " N , 13 ° 23 ′ 25.8" E