Nazi Berlin in Color

In 1937 Hitler was at the very peak of his power. Ordinary Germans were
content and opposition was being ruthlessly crushed.

Rare color photos of 1930s pre-war Berlin


It would not be a day on the Internet without a reference to Nazis and Hitler.

So in keeping with this unwritten rule here is an interesting collection of rare color photos of Berlin in 1937 from the UK Daily Mail.  There were taken by Thomas Neumann and uncovered from Norwegian archives, show life in the German capital during a tumultuous decade.

They capture scenes in the vibrant city, which was under the iron grip of Adolf Hitler and his Third Reich at the very height of his power. Yet just eight years later the city was in ruins as Russians and Allies occupied it in victory.
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But at the time these images were taken, Hitler's Berlin was vibrant. Hitler had taken power after the collapse of the democratic Weimar Republic in 1933 as severe economic problems caused by the Great Depression drove ordinary Germans into the Fascist party's arms.

As well as chilling pictures of buildings emblazoned with swastikas, there are scenes of ordinary life as Germans go about their business. They show a child in a sun-drenched square, smiling friends at a train station, a cart selling bananas and a food vendor in a sunny park.

For more photos visit:  UK Daily Mail - Sunshine and Swastikas.

This intimidating picture shows troops lining a boulevard festooned
with swastikas in anticipation of a parade.

Church and state: Swastikas and a maypole outside Berlin Cathedral.

The 1937 May Day celebration was also a celebration
of 700 years of Berlin's history.

Berliners gather to look at a giant maypole outside the Berlin City Cathedral.