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Hoppegarten Racecourse

Hoppegarten Racecourse

The starting field for the Berlin Grand Prix gallops around the Berlin Hoppegarten Racecourse. (Archive)

The Galopprennbahn Hoppegarten (Hoppegarten Racecourse) in the east of Berlin can look back on a long tradition. It is still a venue for international horse races and a popular excursion destination.

On May 17, 1868, in the presence of King Wilhelm I and Imperial Chancellor Otto von Bismarck, the first official race was held in the former hop-growing area east of Berlin, the Hoppegarten Racecourse, which was soon to become the largest in Germany. In just a few years, the facility grew to 780 hectares, five tracks with a total length of 45,000 meters and 1,500 horses; top races attracted up to 40,000 visitors.

Paris model for Hoppegarten Racecourse

On 430 hectares, the only galloping facility for Berlin and the surrounding area has a racecourse, several training tracks and obstacle courses as well as 380 horses. The main grandstand, built in 1922 with a capacity of 4,000 spectators, and the listed weighbridge building with jockey stables have been preserved.

Carl Bohm's design was inspired by the Chantilly and Longchamp racecourses in Paris. The history of Hoppegarten is closely linked to the Union-Klub, which acquired the site from Heinrich v. Treskow in 1874 and organized the most important German, European and international flat races here. In the course of the expropriation of the club after 1945, the management was transferred to the VE-Rennbetrieb Hoppegarten, and from 1974 to the VEB Vollblutrennbahnen.

Hoppegarten today

The last GDR Derby took place on 24.6.1990, the last race for the GDR Grand Prix on 5.8.1990. Today, the Hoppegarten Racecourse is privately owned. During the season, which lasts from April to October, various races can be seen at Hoppegarten, the former center of German turf, including the Renntag der Deutschen Einheit, the Grand Prix of Berlin and the Altano race.

Information

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City map

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 Address
Goetheallee 1
15366 Hoppegarten
Phone
+49 (0)3342 38 93 0
Admission Fee
Depending on the race day
Architect
Carl Bohm

Public transportation

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Last edited: 30 January 2025