Galopprennbahn Hoppegarten

A day at the races is an important social event. Berlin was always the racing Mecca of Germany, above all because of the Hoppegarten racecourse.

Kaiser William I and his chancellor Otto von Bismarck opened the racecourse in 1868 on the site of a former hop-growing area. Known as ‘the racecourse in the countryside’, it rapidly made its mark: 430 hectares with 800 horses, twenty race days and up to 40,000 spectators. Many major races were held here – the Diana Prize for mares (2,000 metres), since 1871 the Henckel Classic race (1,600 metres), the Union Race and the Grand Prize of Berlin (both 2,000 metres). Races even continued during the Second World War, though in 1944 the main stands were converted into a munitions factory. Both the building and the track were badly damaged in bombings that year. In 1945, the ‘great exodus’ to Hamburg followed.

During the time of the GDR, the racecourse was again used for flat racing. The last GDR Derby was held on June 24th, 1990, and the last race for the Grand Prize of the GDR followed on August 5th, 1990.

Today, the racetrack is the only one in Europe that is entirely in private ownership and part of the National Trust. Over the years, parts of the area have been refurbished and the training centre has been extended. There are now nine racing days a year.

Cultural events, like the ‘Neuenhagen Music Summer’, leisure-time exhibitions and sporting events, like dressage competitions, are just some of the highlights, drawing large numbers of visitors.