7. Olympic Village
The Olympiastadion was complemented by yet another big structure, the Olympic Village built in 1934. This is located on the western perimeter of Germany’s capital of Berlin, at Estal, Wustermark. It was 19 miles (30 kilometers) from the city center. As an accommodation center built for Olympic Games, the Olympic Village consisted of both single and double-floor dormitories, a swimming pool, dining areas and various training facilities for the contesting athletes.
Jesse Owens, the American hero athlete, used these facilities that now stand only as vestiges. During the Summer Olympics, the structure housed about 4,000 participants from all over the world.
The Olympic Village was used during World War II as a hospital for injured Wehrmacht fighters. The Soviet Union took it over in 1945 following the fall of Adolf Hitler. It then became a military camp used by the Union occupation forces. There are unconfirmed claims that Olympia Village has also been used as a torture facility by the Soviet’s Committee for State Security (KGB).
Even though there are plans to restore the former village into a living museum, it remains debilitated, with the only part fully restored being the dormitory where Jesse Owens stayed.