Olympia Greece Flame Lighting Berlin Olympics Riefenstahl 1936 Real Photo Postcard
The image captures the inaugural Olympic Torch Relay ceremony in Olympia, Greece, for the 1936 Berlin Olympic Games. This event, held amidst the ancient ruins, specifically near the Temple of Hera (Heraion) where the flame is traditionally lit using a parabolic mirror, marked the official start of a new tradition for the modern Olympic movement. Priestesses, dressed in ancient Greek attire, performed the ritual of igniting the sacred flame, invoking the spirit of the ancient games.
The 1936 Berlin Olympics are historically significant due to their highly politicized nature, having been utilized by Nazi Germany for propaganda purposes. The torch relay from Olympia was a deliberate choice by the Nazi regime to link their nationalist ideology with the perceived purity and grandeur of ancient Greece, presenting themselves as heirs to a classical heritage. Despite its controversial origins, this ceremony established the enduring tradition of the Olympic Torch Relay, symbolizing the continuity of the Games from antiquity to the modern era.
The 1936 Berlin Olympics are historically significant due to their highly politicized nature, having been utilized by Nazi Germany for propaganda purposes. The torch relay from Olympia was a deliberate choice by the Nazi regime to link their nationalist ideology with the perceived purity and grandeur of ancient Greece, presenting themselves as heirs to a classical heritage. Despite its controversial origins, this ceremony established the enduring tradition of the Olympic Torch Relay, symbolizing the continuity of the Games from antiquity to the modern era.
