Rathausausstellung 2026 - Tafel 20: Propaganda durch Masseninszenierungen | Town-hall Exhibition 2026 - Panel 20: Mass events as propaganda

Case in point: The Musikhalle Large-scale events were an important propaganda tool for the Nazi regime. Many Nazi Party celebrations and congresses were held in Hamburg – often in the Musikhalle, with its grand hall accommodating more than 2,000 people. Prominent Nazis regularly put in an appearance at cultural events in a bid to invoke the unity of the Volksgemeinschaft, or national community. In 1935 for instance, Joseph Goebbels, the Reich Minister for Public Enlightenment and Propaganda, opened the 2nd Reich Theatre Festival Week. At the 1936 World Congress for Leisure and Recreation, the German Reich showcased itself to the 1,500 guests from Germany and abroad as a peace-loving nation open to the world. The SA and SS staged numerous concerts with military overtones. Hamburg’s Philharmonic State Orchestra played at events held by Hamburg’s Nazi leadership.