Germany Conscious of History

Interesting article in the Wall Street Journal today about how Germany decided to refurbish the Berlin Stadium for the World Cup, instead of tearing it down and starting from scratch, or building a completely new one nearby.

The stadium is rich with history, being the main forum for the 1936 Olympic Games that were hosted by Hitler and Nazi Germany. Rather than shy away from that, Berlin has embraced it as part of the history of the city and will keep the integrity of the impressive design of the Marathon Gate and the stadium.

This means that some seats will have partially obscured views due to suspension pylons. Some fans may bitch about that, but if I had a chance to sit on one of those seats for any game of the World Cup, let alone the final, I would jump at it with both hands.