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AVUS

The Automobil-Verkehrs- und Übungsstraße (AVUS), translating to "Automobile Traffic and Practice Road," is a historic public highway in Berlin, Germany, originally developed as the world's first automobile-only restricted-access road and extensively used as a high-speed motor racing circuit from its opening in 1921 until 1998.^[1]^[2] Conceived in 1909 by affluent car owners and initiated under imperial patronage before World War I delays, the 19.5-kilometer dual-straight layout with connecting loops at each end served dual purposes as a testing venue for vehicles and a venue for speed records and competitions, achieving notoriety as the fastest track globally in the interwar period due to its minimal turns and later steep 43-degree banking added in 1937.^[3]^[4] Key events defining AVUS include its inaugural race weekend in September 1921, won by Fritz von Opel, and hosting the inaugural German Grand Prix in 1926, secured by Rudolf Caracciola in a Mercedes-Benz amid chaotic conditions that claimed multiple lives.^[5]^[6] The circuit accommodated Olympic road events like cycling and the marathon during the 1936 Berlin Games, while the 1930s saw Mercedes-Benz and Auto Union Silver Arrows dominating races and shattering land speed records, exemplified by Rudolf Caracciola's feats, though record attempts also led to fatalities such as Bernd Rosemeyer's in 1938.^[4] Postwar, it briefly returned to prominence with the 1959 Formula One German Grand Prix, won by Tony Brooks in a Ferrari, but marred by severe accidents including the death of Jean Behra on the banking, underscoring the track's inherent dangers from high speeds exceeding 200 mph on straights and inadequate safety features.^[7]^[8] Today, the shortened 8.3-kilometer AVUS integrates as the northern segment of the A115 motorway, open to everyday traffic with remnants like the northern grandstand and control tower preserved as historical markers, while ongoing renovations address infrastructure needs without reviving racing due to modern safety standards.^[9]^[1]^[10] Its legacy endures as a pioneering experiment in automotive infrastructure, influencing Autobahn development, though its racing history is tempered by a toll of numerous driver and spectator fatalities across decades.^[8]

Origins and Construction

Planning and Funding (1909–1910s)

The Automobil-Verkehrs- und Übungsstraße GmbH was established in January 1909 by a consortium of affluent private automobile owners in Berlin, marking the inception of what would become Germany's first dedicated motor vehicle road.^[3] This private company, comprising individuals from sports and finance circles, sought to create a controlled environment for high-speed automotive travel and testing, addressing the practical limitations of existing roads dominated by slower horse-drawn traffic and urban obstacles.^[11] The project's empirical foundation lay in the rapid growth of automobile ownership in the early 1900s, which necessitated unrestricted trials to refine vehicle performance and safety without endangering public roadways.^[12] Planning emphasized a dual-purpose route approximately 10 kilometers long, designed exclusively for cars with no intersections or pedestrian access, to enable speeds unattainable elsewhere and facilitate data-driven engineering improvements.^[13] The initiative bypassed regulatory dependencies on mixed-use infrastructure, prioritizing causal engineering needs over broader public works, as automobile adoption outpaced traditional road adaptations.^[11] Funding relied entirely on private capital from shareholders within the GmbH, including prominent figures like industrialist Hugo Stinnes, who later supported construction phases, with revenue projected from user tolls rather than state subsidies.^[14] This self-financed model highlighted market incentives for innovation but encountered hurdles, as insufficient initial investments delayed official approvals and groundbreaking until 1913 amid economic uncertainties in the 1910s.^[4] The absence of government involvement underscored the venture's origins in entrepreneurial demand rather than centralized planning.^[12]

Engineering and Completion (1920–1921)

Construction of the AVUS began in 1913 but was interrupted by the outbreak of World War I in 1914, which halted progress due to resource shortages and national priorities shifted toward military efforts.^[15] Work resumed after the Armistice in 1918, enabling completion of the approximately 19-kilometer route consisting of two extended straight sections linked by shallow-radius flat curves at each end.^[15] These straights, each roughly 9.5 kilometers long, spanned from the Grunewald forest area in southwestern Berlin northward toward Nikolassee, facilitating direct vehicular travel without intersections or pedestrian access points.^[16] Engineering solutions emphasized high-speed travel and durability for both public highway use and automotive testing, with lanes measuring 8 meters wide to accommodate dual opposing traffic flows separated by a central divider.^[17] The flat curves were engineered with minimal superelevation to support safe cornering at elevated velocities while maintaining the road's dual-purpose integrity, avoiding the mixed-use compromises common in urban thoroughfares.^[18] Surfacing involved layered paving techniques suited to heavy vehicular loads and weather resistance, prioritizing longevity over cost to enable sustained operations as a controlled-access artery.^[1] Financial and material constraints post-war necessitated efficient construction methods, including standardized grading and drainage to prevent flooding in Berlin's variable terrain. The AVUS officially opened to traffic on September 24, 1921, marking it as the world's inaugural purpose-built motorway dedicated exclusively to automobiles, with a toll of 10 Reichsmarks for access to ensure revenue for maintenance and to deter non-essential use.^[3] ^[9] This design philosophy underscored vehicular primacy, eschewing sidewalks, rail integrations, or equestrian paths in favor of streamlined flow for efficiency and safety at speed.^[19] The completion realized early 20th-century visions for dedicated motor roads, bridging Berlin's urban core to its western outskirts without the encumbrances of traditional highways.^[16]

Design and Technical Features

Layout and Unique Elements

The AVUS featured two parallel north-south straights extending approximately 9.8 kilometers each, forming a total circuit length of 19.573 kilometers with minimal elevation variation along the straights, facilitating uninterrupted high-speed travel.^[2] These straights were linked at the southern end by a flat hairpin turn designed for sharp reversal without significant banking, while the northern turn incorporated a steeply banked curve reaching an incline of 43 degrees after reconstruction in the 1930s, enabling vehicles to maintain momentum at speeds over 250 km/h through centrifugal force support.^[8]^[2] This configuration, devoid of chicanes, elevation shifts, or tight corners beyond the endpoints, optimized the track for straight-line acceleration and absolute top-speed testing, distinguishing it as the pre-World War II venue capable of sustaining average lap times under 8 minutes for grand prix cars due to reduced drag and braking demands.^[20] The banking's pronounced superelevation—wider at 18 meters—provided a causal advantage in high-velocity cornering by countering lateral forces, allowing record attempts to push beyond 400 km/h on the northern approach without mechanical aids like downforce.^[1]^[21] Supporting infrastructure included parallel service roads for public access alongside the racing lanes, permanent grandstands near the northern banking for spectator oversight, and timing stations integrated into the route for precise velocity measurements during tests and events, enabling dual functionality as both a controlled circuit and operational highway.^[4] This setup minimized interruptions, promoting empirical validation of automotive performance limits through repeatable, low-friction runs.^[22]

Modifications and Adaptations

The AVUS circuit's design evolved through targeted modifications informed by performance data from testing and early races, prioritizing speed enhancement over comprehensive reconfiguration. In 1937, the flat northern hairpin was transformed into a steeply banked curve with a 43-degree incline, allowing drivers to navigate the turn at over 150 mph without significant deceleration, as flat curves had previously constrained top speeds during record attempts.^[21] This adaptation, earning the moniker "Wall of Death," facilitated empirical validation of high-velocity handling on concrete surfacing engineered for extreme lateral forces.^[23] Post-World War II, the infrastructure suffered extensive bomb damage, prompting immediate repair efforts to excise debris and restore surface integrity for resumed vehicular use. Crews undertook intensive reconstruction to render the track operational again by the late 1940s, focusing on essential drivability rather than full restoration of pre-war features.^[24] The northern banking persisted until its demolition in 1967 due to deterioration and safety concerns arising from aging materials and incident patterns.^[25] Subsequent adaptations in the shortened layout, post-1951 reconfiguration of the southern turn, incorporated pragmatic safety enhancements like barriers in response to crash data from ongoing events, maintaining the track's utility for high-speed activities into the 1990s without ideological-driven overhauls. These changes reflected causal analysis of usage outcomes, balancing performance with observed risks.^[26]

Early Use as Highway and Test Track

Operational Model and Innovations (1920s–1930s)

Upon its opening on September 24, 1921, AVUS functioned as a dual-use infrastructure: a toll-financed, automobile-only highway accessible to public traffic during weekdays, connecting Berlin's Charlottenburg district to Nikolassee and facilitating travel toward Potsdam and Wannsee, while weekends were reserved exclusively for speed trials and manufacturer testing.^[2]^[27] This model, developed by the Automobil-Club von Deutschland through private initiative and user fees rather than state subsidies, generated revenue for maintenance and operations, allowing the 19.6-kilometer route—comprising two 9.8-kilometer straights linked by banked loops—to serve practical transport needs without compromising its experimental purpose.^[1] The separation of routine traffic from high-velocity activities minimized risks and interference, enabling efficient resource allocation that prioritized engineering progress over congested urban roadways. AVUS's design as a proving ground accelerated private-sector advancements in automotive technology during the Weimar Republic, with its extended straights permitting sustained high speeds unattainable on conventional roads, thus supporting empirical evaluations of vehicle components. Manufacturers, including early participants like Opel, leveraged the track for confidential benchmarking of engines and chassis dynamics, fostering iterative improvements driven by direct performance data rather than theoretical models or bureaucratic oversight.^[28] This environment contributed to refinements in propulsion efficiency and structural integrity, as evidenced by subsequent speed records set in the late 1920s using rocket-assisted prototypes, which validated propulsion innovations originating from track-based testing.^[29] The weekday highway operations demonstrated the causal advantages of dedicated, high-capacity infrastructure for mobility, with AVUS's concrete surface and grade-separated layout enabling average travel times far superior to Berlin's urban arterials, which were hampered by mixed traffic and frequent interruptions. By providing a controlled venue for real-world validation, the facility underscored the value of market-oriented access in spurring technological iteration, independent of later centralized interventions, and positioned Germany as a leader in motorized transport engineering before 1933.^[1]^[27]

Pre-War Traffic and Testing Role

The AVUS served primarily as a toll-funded highway connecting Berlin to Potsdam and the Wannsee area, accommodating high-speed vehicular traffic on weekdays while reserving weekends for racing events. Opened on September 10, 1921, it operated as Europe's first automobile-only road, prohibiting pedestrians, horses, and non-motorized vehicles to enable unrestricted speeds up to 140 km/h in designated zones, far exceeding urban limits of the era. Tolls, such as 10 Reichsmarks for a round trip, generated revenue that supported ongoing maintenance and operations, establishing a self-sustaining model independent of public subsidies and contrasting with slower, congested alternatives like city streets or rail. This economic structure, managed privately until its sale to the Reich in 1939, prioritized efficient throughput for affluent motorists seeking expedited travel to recreational destinations, though high fees drew criticism for limiting access to an elite class unable to afford alternatives.^[30]^[2]^[27]^[3] In parallel, AVUS functioned as a dedicated test track for automotive manufacturers, facilitating empirical evaluation of vehicle performance under controlled high-speed conditions. Firms including Mercedes-Benz and Auto Union conducted extensive trials on its 19.5 km straight sections and banked curves, yielding data on aerodynamics, engine output, and stability at velocities unattainable on public roads. For instance, Auto Union's Type C models, tested by drivers like Bernd Rosemeyer, achieved speeds exceeding 380 km/h on the straights during pre-race preparations in the mid-1930s, informing refinements to streamlined bodies designed for maximal velocity. Mercedes-Benz similarly utilized the venue for Silver Arrow prototypes, leveraging the isolated environment to isolate variables like tire wear and braking under sustained high loads, which accelerated iterative design improvements grounded in measured outcomes rather than theoretical projections.^[31]^[21]^[28]^[32] This dual role underscored AVUS's contribution to safety through segregation of fast traffic from mixed urban environments, reducing collision risks via grade-separated design and absence of intersections, which empirical use demonstrated in lower incident rates per kilometer compared to contemporary Berlin roadways. While elitist tolls restricted broad participation, the controlled setting enabled verifiable advancements in vehicle reliability—such as enhanced suspension tuning from repeated high-speed runs—prioritizing data-derived progress over universal accessibility, with testing protocols yielding quantifiable gains in durability absent in unregulated street trials.^[9]

Racing History

Pre-World War II Events and Achievements

The inaugural Avus-Rennen occurred on September 24–25, 1921, as a time trial event organized by the Automobilclub von Deutschland (AvD), marking the track's first use for competitive motoring on the 19.5 km out-and-back layout.^[13] This event established AVUS as a venue for testing automotive performance, with participants achieving speeds that demonstrated the highway's suitability for racing despite its primary role as a public road.^[33] Annual races followed, culminating in the first German Grand Prix on July 11, 1926, contested under a sports car formula rather than strict Grand Prix regulations.^[34] Rudolf Caracciola won in a Mercedes-Benz 24/100/140 PS K, navigating heavy rain to average speeds that highlighted the track's drainage and surface quality.^[35]^[6] The victory underscored early engineering achievements in chassis and engine tuning, as privateer entries competed against factory-prepared machines.^[4] In the 1930s, AVUS hosted international events that showcased the Silver Arrows era, with Mercedes-Benz and Auto Union dominating through state-supported development of high-output engines and streamlined bodies.^[36] Redevelopment in 1936, including steeper banking up to 46 degrees at the north curve, enabled lap averages exceeding 240 km/h by reducing reliance on downforce and minimizing tire stress compared to flat circuits like Brooklands.^[37] The 1937 Internationales Avusrennen on May 30 represented a pinnacle, where Bernd Rosemeyer in an Auto Union Type C streamliner recorded a practice lap average of 176.7 mph (284 km/h), the fastest ever at the time.^[21]^[38] Factory teams' advantages in aerodynamics and power—Auto Union's rear-engine V16 delivering over 500 hp—outpaced privateers, whose conventional designs faltered on the banking's demands.^[39] Earlier, Rudolf Caracciola set a Class C international speed record of 311.98 km/h in December 1934 with a Mercedes-Benz W25 record car, empirically validating AVUS as a benchmark for powertrain and drag reduction innovations.^[36] These milestones affirmed the track's role in advancing causal understandings of velocity limits, though the extreme gradients amplified inherent risks from tire delamination and control loss at over 300 km/h.^[21]

World War II Interruption and Post-War Revival

During World War II, the AVUS ceased racing operations as the facility was requisitioned for military purposes and sustained damage from Allied air raids. The administration and toll buildings incurred heavy destruction, later demolished postwar, while the northern entrance gate suffered severe impact amid the Battle of Berlin in April 1945; however, the primary straights endured with minimal structural compromise.^[4]^[40] Postwar revival commenced in the American sector of West Berlin under Allied administration, symbolizing Western resilience in a divided city. The inaugural race following the conflict occurred on July 1, 1951, accommodating Formula Two and Formula Three vehicles, with East German driver Paul Greifzu securing victory before an estimated 350,000 attendees.^[4]^[41]^[42] Geopolitical constraints necessitated modifications, including shortening the circuit to roughly 8.3 kilometers via temporary barriers that truncated the extended straights, preserving a functional loop within West Berlin boundaries despite proximity to Soviet-controlled areas. This adaptation sustained the AVUS as a venue for automotive testing and demonstration in an isolated Western outpost, navigating the era's blockade aftermath and escalating divisions.^[22]^[28]

Cold War Era Races and Formula One Involvement

Following World War II, racing at AVUS resumed in 1950 after the track's length was shortened to approximately 8.3 kilometers with the addition of a new unbanked south loop, enabling annual West German Grand Prix events through the 1950s.^[43]^[44] These races highlighted the circuit's straight-line speed potential in the divided city of West Berlin, serving as a venue for national motorsport revival amid post-war reconstruction.^[4] The most prominent event was the 1959 German Grand Prix, a Formula One World Championship round held on August 2 in West Berlin, marking AVUS's sole appearance on the F1 calendar. British driver Tony Brooks secured victory for Ferrari in a Dino 246, finishing ahead of teammates Dan Gurney and Phil Hill after two 30-lap heats, with average lap speeds exceeding 200 km/h due to the track's long straights and minimal corners.^[45]^[46] Despite its prestige, the event drew criticism from drivers like Stirling Moss regarding the circuit's safety limitations, particularly the steep north banking and inadequate barriers, though it underscored AVUS's role in testing high-speed capabilities.^[47] After the Berlin Wall's construction in 1961, AVUS's isolation in West Berlin posed logistical challenges for international entries, yet races persisted as symbols of Western mobility and defiance amid Cold War tensions. Events continued into the 1960s and beyond, facilitating advancements in engine performance and aerodynamics suited to the track's autobahn-like layout, though safety concerns increasingly tempered its use for elite competitions.^[2]^[4]

Final Racing Years (1980s–1998)

In the 1980s, AVUS continued to host national-level motorsport events, primarily rounds of the Deutsche Tourenwagen Meisterschaft (DTM) and German Formula Three Championship, often as doubleheader weekends that drew significant crowds due to the track's reputation for raw speed.^[48] The circuit's layout, emphasizing long straights over technical corners, allowed touring cars to exceed 300 km/h, prioritizing engine power and aerodynamics rather than driver skill in handling, which contrasted with emerging purpose-built venues like Hockenheim that featured more balanced challenges.^[4] To adapt to modern racing demands, the track underwent significant shortening—its length was reduced roughly in half twice during the decade and into the 1990s—effectively converting portions into a more compact loop while retaining the high-speed essence, though this diminished its unique highway-circuit hybrid character.^[49] The 1990s saw AVUS's role further limited to these domestic series amid regulatory pressures from bodies like the DMSB and FIA, which favored circuits with enhanced safety features such as run-off zones and chicanes to mitigate risks on high-speed straights; AVUS's public-road integration and minimal barriers perpetuated its high-risk profile, evidenced by ongoing incidents tied to the banking remnants and abrupt turns.^[48] Notable DTM events included the 1995 Avusrennen, where Kurt Thiim won in an Alfa Romeo 155 V6 TI, and the 1996 rounds secured by Emanuele Pirro and Armin Hahne in Audi and BMW machinery, respectively, with lap times reflecting elite velocities but underscoring the venue's obsolescence against tracks offering superior braking and cornering tests.^[50]^[48] Economic factors, including rising maintenance costs for a aging infrastructure amid Berlin's post-reunification urban expansion, contributed to waning event viability, as organizers prioritized newer facilities with better sponsorship appeal.^[4] Racing concluded with the Deutsche Tourenwagen Challenge (DTC), a successor series to DTM, holding its final event on April 26, 1998, marking the end of competitive use after decades of adaptation attempts that could not fully reconcile the track's engineering legacy with contemporary safety and urban pressures.^[23] This last race highlighted AVUS's enduring draw for speed-focused competition but also its displacement by specialized circuits, as straight-line dominance yielded to multifaceted layouts demanded by evolving series regulations.^[40] A non-competitive farewell gathering for historic vehicles followed in 1999, symbolizing the shift away from AVUS as a racing venue.^[4]

Safety Record and Incidents

Major Accidents and Fatalities

During the inaugural German Grand Prix on July 11, 1926, AVUS experienced its first major racing fatalities amid heavy rain that rendered the asphalt oily and slippery. Italian driver Carlo Cattaneo died in a practice session crash two days prior, marking the event's initial tragedy. On race day, Mercedes driver Adolf Rosenberger lost control and collided with a timekeeper's hut, killing three marshals inside. These incidents, totaling four deaths including mechanics and officials, highlighted early vulnerabilities in track infrastructure and weather-related grip issues on the then-novel concrete-and-asphalt surface.^[51]^[52]^[4] In the 1930s, AVUS's steep north banking—angled at up to 42 degrees—and sustained high speeds exceeding 200 km/h strained tire technology, leading to frequent blowouts and control losses during events like the 1931 and 1935 Avusrennen. While most such failures resulted in spins or retirements rather than immediate fatalities, they underscored causal factors like inadequate sidewall strength in era-specific rubber compounds, which prioritized speed over durability. Driver George Christian von Lobkowicz perished in a 1932 crash attributed to similar high-velocity instability on the straights, compounded by minimal runoff areas.^[53]^[54]^[8] Post-World War II races amplified risks on the aging banking, where low guardrails failed to contain errant vehicles. French driver Jean Behra died on May 2, 1959, during a supporting sports car event when his Porsche RSK 718 vaulted the north turn's crest after a suspension failure, landing inverted beyond the barriers—a direct consequence of the banking's extreme superelevation without modern catch fences. In the September 10, 1995, ADAC Super Tourenwagen Cup, British driver Kieth O'Dor spun his Nissan Primera on the north straight due to traction loss, positioning the car broadside where it was struck by pursuing traffic, resulting in fatal injuries despite earlier heat success. These later incidents, involving at least four confirmed driver deaths across AVUS's history (Cattaneo, von Lobkowicz, Behra, O'Dor), were linked to insufficient energy-absorbing restraints and the track's unforgiving geometry, though adjusted for 1920s–1990s norms, AVUS's per-event fatality rate aligned with contemporaries like Monza or Indianapolis, where street-derived circuits posed uncontrolled hazards.^[8]^[55]^[55]

Engineering Responses to Risks

Following major incidents, such as the 1959 death of Jean Behra during a support race when his car vaulted the Nordkurve banking, organizers implemented targeted structural adjustments including the addition of chicanes to moderate entry speeds into high-risk zones like the 43-degree banked turn, thereby reducing the incidence of airborne excursions without flattening the incline.^[2] These modifications, introduced progressively from the 1980s onward as straight-line racing declined in favor, shortened the circuit layout while preserving its capacity for sustained high velocities exceeding 300 km/h in later events. Guardrails and debris fencing, akin to Armco systems adopted across European circuits post-World War II, were incrementally deployed along the straights and banking edges to contain errant vehicles, with empirical evidence from subsequent races showing fewer penetrations into spectator areas compared to pre-war configurations.^[4] For the 1996 event, surface irregularities were systematically milled to eliminate bumps that exacerbated instability on the banking, correlating with no reported flips in that outing despite qualifying speeds over 320 km/h.^[2] Such interventions prioritized causal factors like grip loss and trajectory deviation over wholesale redesigns, sustaining AVUS's role in speed record validation—such as Bernd Schneider's 1998 DTM lap average of 295 km/h—while countering proposals for de-banking that would have negated its engineering intent for unbridled acceleration testing.^[8] In comparison to contemporaries, AVUS recorded approximately five driver fatalities across seven decades of intermittent use (1921–1998), including Behra and earlier victims like Otto Merz (1927), against Monza's 52 drivers and Indianapolis Motor Speedway's 42 drivers plus 13 mechanics over denser event schedules.^[8]^[25] This lower absolute toll, adjusted for fewer annual races, underscores accepted trade-offs where mitigations enabled verifiable performance gains amid inherent straight-and-banking hazards, rather than precautionary overhauls that might have stifled automotive innovation.^[7]

Closure and Legacy

Factors Leading to End of Racing

The cessation of motor racing at the AVUS in 1998 was driven primarily by escalating environmental regulations and local opposition centered on noise and emissions pollution, which clashed with the track's urban location amid Berlin's post-reunification population growth and traffic demands. German noise protection laws, including the 1974 Federal Immissions Control Act (BImSchG) and subsequent technical guidelines (TA Lärm), imposed stricter limits on event-related sound levels, rendering high-decibel races incompatible with residential proximity; residents and officials cited intolerable disturbances from engine roar exceeding 100 dB, prioritizing "quality of life" metrics over the site's motorsport heritage.^[56] Exhaust emissions further fueled objections, as vehicles in series like the DTM produced pollutants at levels increasingly scrutinized under evolving EU precursor directives to national standards, amplifying calls to repurpose the AVUS solely as a highway.^[56] Economic pressures compounded these regulatory hurdles, with the AVUS struggling against competition from purpose-built, looped circuits like the Hockenheimring and Nürburgring, which offered superior safety profiles, larger capacities, and compliance with modern FIA standards without disrupting daily urban traffic. Maintenance costs for racing infrastructure—chicanes added in the 1980s for speed control, barriers, and event logistics—escalated amid limited event calendars (often capped at 2-3 per year by the 1990s due to permits), yielding insufficient revenue to offset liabilities from potential accidents and environmental mitigation.^[4] Post-1990 reunification shifted priorities toward integrating the AVUS into Berlin's A115 motorway network for efficient north-south connectivity, reflecting bureaucratic planning that favored continuous high-volume commuter flow over intermittent sporting use.^[41] The 1999 demolition of remaining racing-specific features, such as chicanes and access bends, to straighten alignments for unhindered highway traffic underscored this triumph of state-driven infrastructure over private or associative racing initiatives, eliminating any feasible revival. While safety concerns were invoked—citing historical incidents—the empirical record shows AVUS fatalities (around 10-15 over 77 years) paled against Germany's annual road death toll (over 5,000 in the 1990s), suggesting controlled track risks were statistically preferable to unregulated street hazards; critics attribute the closure to a broader societal aversion to managed peril, favoring sanitized public spaces.^[8]

Current Status as Highway

The northern section of the AVUS, spanning approximately 9 kilometers from the Funkturm interchange to the vicinity of Nikolassee, constitutes the core of the A 115 Bundesautobahn, fully repurposed for vehicular transport following the end of motor racing in 1998. This segment accommodates heavy commuter and intercity traffic, recording average annual daily traffic (AADT) volumes of 90,000 to 100,000 motor vehicles, primarily facilitating access between Berlin's western districts and the A 10 ring road.^[57]^[58] Speed regulations align with standard German autobahn protocols, featuring an advisory limit (Richtgeschwindigkeit) of 130 km/h on open stretches, while sections near junctions or urban edges impose hard limits of 100 km/h to mitigate risks from the road's historical banking and curvature. The AVUS's original engineering—wide lanes, minimal intersections, and residual straightaways—supports sustained high throughput, with traffic flow benefiting from the absence of at-grade crossings, though peak-hour congestion occasionally arises due to Berlin's metropolitan demands. Ongoing maintenance, such as the comprehensive resurfacing and structural renewal scheduled from October 2024 to August 2026 between Spanische Allee and the Berlin-Brandenburg border, ensures pavement integrity amid these loads.^[10] No motor racing events have resumed on the AVUS, as full-time highway operations preclude track closures, with authorities prioritizing continuous accessibility over recreational use. The 1936 northern grandstand, a 200-meter concrete structure overlooking the former loop, remains designated as a protected cultural monument since 1995, permitting only static exhibitions of historical vehicles on rare occasions without disrupting traffic. Southern portions of the original alignment, once featuring a banked turn, have been straightened and assimilated into ancillary roads or green spaces, retaining scant preserved elements like foundational relics but serving no active transport role.^[9]

Historical Significance and Engineering Lessons

The AVUS represented a pioneering effort in high-speed infrastructure, constructed between 1918 and 1921 through private funding by the Automobil-Verkehrs- und Übungsstraße GmbH, a company established in 1909 by affluent automobile enthusiasts to create a dedicated traffic, testing, and exercise road free from horse-drawn vehicles and pedestrians.^[3] This initiative demonstrated the efficacy of private capital in rapidly delivering innovative transport solutions, completing a 19-kilometer dual carriageway with controlled access—features that predated and empirically validated concepts later adopted in Germany's Autobahn network, countering narratives attributing such developments solely to state programs in the 1930s.^[15] By prioritizing engineering for sustained high velocities over two extended straights connected by steeply banked curves, AVUS provided a controlled environment that accelerated empirical advancements in vehicle performance, underscoring how specialized venues enable causal linkages between extreme testing and technological iteration in powertrains, tires, and chassis dynamics. Engineering analyses of AVUS highlight its role in pushing automotive boundaries through facilities like the 43.6-degree banked southern turn, which facilitated land speed records such as Fritz von Opel's 238 km/h in a rocket-powered vehicle in 1928 and Hermann Lang's 261.2 km/h average in a Mercedes-Benz W125 during the 1937 race, directly informing refinements in streamlining and suspension for production cars.^[29]^[59] These outcomes illustrate a first-principles truth: unconstrained high-speed straights catalyze measurable progress in speed and efficiency, as evidenced by the track's repeated use for absolute records exceeding 400 km/h by Rudolf Caracciola in Mercedes-Benz streamliners during the 1930s.^[60] However, the design's minimal safety provisions—lacking modern barriers and runoff areas—exposed inherent risks at such velocities, where minor deviations amplified into catastrophic failures, teaching that while raw speed drives innovation, causal realism demands integrated risk mitigation without curtailing the pursuit of human limits. In broader lessons for infrastructure evolution, AVUS exemplifies how private-led projects evade the delays of regulatory proliferation seen in contemporary endeavors, where environmental impact assessments and zoning disputes often extend timelines from years to decades, as private completion in under four years contrasts with state equivalents burdened by oversight.^[1] Yet, post-war regulatory intensification, including noise ordinances and urban encroachment, eroded the viability of such dual-use facilities, balancing empirical gains in motoring technology against verifiable hazards like high-fatality incidents that prompted stricter controls, without idealizing danger as inherent to progress. This duality critiques modern impediments: while data affirms dedicated high-speed corridors enhance safety and efficiency over congested alternatives, overregulation has dismantled comparable testbeds, prioritizing precautionary stasis over evidenced-driven advancement.^[2]

References

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The AVUS | Stadtmuseum Berlin
The Avus is regarded as the world's first automobile-only road and, for a long time, also has been deemed to be the fastest race track in the world.Missing: facts | Show results with:facts
[2]
AVUS Berlin: A most remarkable street circuit
AVUS stands for “Automobil Verkehrs und Übungs Straße” which means in English “Automobile Traffic and Practice Road”. In fact it was an experimental “Autobahn” ...
[3]
Start and “glory” days | Stadtmuseum Berlin
The history of the AVUS begins in January 1909 with the founding of the Automobil-Verkehrs- und Übungsstraße GmbH by affluent, private car owners.
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AVUS - RacingCircuits.info
When the revised circuit opened in 1937, average speeds jumped by around 20mph. The 1938 AVUS-Rennen would prove to be the only time the famous Silver Arrows ...Missing: und | Show results with:und
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100 Years Ago: Opel Wins Opening Race on Avus - Stellantis Media
Sep 15, 2021 · The start: Fritz von Opel takes first victory at the Berlin street circuit · 1928: “Raketen-Fritz” and RAK 2 in record-breaking form · The finish: ...
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The Avus motor racing circuit in Berlin hosted the German Grand Prix for the first time on July 11, 1926. The winner was Rudolf Caracciola in a Mercedes.Missing: facts | Show results with:facts<|separator|>
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Jul 26, 2019 · Yet sixty years ago it was held at the bland, but dangerous, AVUS track near Berlin. Here is the tragic tale.Missing: controversies | Show results with:controversies
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AVUS Was A Good Race Track, Actually - Jalopnik
Apr 4, 2022 · The original track, which was started in 1907 and finished 14 years later due to the onset of World War I, was just over 12 miles (19.573 km) ...
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Avus - Berlin.de
Mar 5, 2025 · On September 24, 1921, the track was finally inaugurated and the first car race could take place on the Berlin Avus. The 8.3-kilometer road is ...Missing: facts | Show results with:facts
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Avus to be renovated for almost two years - Berlin.de
Oct 2, 2024 · The Avus motorway will be renovated between the Spanische Allee junction and the Berlin/Brandenburg state border until August 2026.
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Die Autobahn, Automobil- und Technikgeschichte
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... Gründung der Automobil-Verkehrs- und Übungsstraße G.m.b.H.. Standort der ... Finanzierung zu übernehmen. Gebaut wurden nun zwei – durch einen breiten ...
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In 1909, a private consortium based in Berlin began drawing up plans for a 10km stretch of motorway which had no intersections, was exclusively for cars and ...Missing: founding funding
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Feb 17, 2021 · The track has hosted some major events of the 1936 Summer Olympics such as cycling road race, the marathon and 50 km walk athletics.Missing: notable achievements
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Nov 9, 2024 · What is often-cited as the world's first motorway-like road was built in Berlin between 1913 and 1921. The 19 km long AVUS ("Automobil ...
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Germany`s first permanent racetrack - Autosport Forums
I think it was the Avus. The first meeting was the Avusrennen, held on 24 and 25 September 1921. The race track was 19.57 km -12.16 miles- long and 8m -26 ft- ...
[18]
[PDF] AUTOBAHN: Das Road - PDH Online
curves and gradients designed for speed. Opposing lanes of traffic were ... Road) or AVUS, in Berlin, opened in 1921. www.PDHonline.org www.PDHcenter ...
[19]
First Autobahn Opens | Research Starters - EBSCO
The first autobahn, AVUS, opened on September 10, 1921, near Berlin. It was initially a race track and practice road, not for ordinary traffic.
[20]
Avus map, history and latest races - Motorsport Database
The layout for the circuit in the Grunewald district of Berlin was simple – two straights joined by a slightly banked corner at Charlottenburg and a hairpin six ...Missing: total banking incline<|control11|><|separator|>
[21]
This race at AVUS was one of the most remarkable ever - Goodwood
May 2, 2025 · AVUS, as it would be known, was conceived in the early 1900s as a motorsport venue, but also as a testing venue for road cars.Missing: facts | Show results with:facts
[22]
TRACKS - GERMANY - Golden Era of Grand Prix Racing
Jun 2, 2025 · AVUS - Berlin (D). AVUS. Type: Highway/autodrome. Length: 19.573 km, with a 831 m start line. In 1937: 19.286 km with a 545 m start line.
[23]
AVUS-Tribüne (Automobile Traffic and Practice Road) - Atlas Obscura
Sep 1, 2022 · AVUS-Tribüne (Automobile Traffic and Practice Road) ; Berlin Radio Tower · 0.41 ; Messedamm Underpass · 0.49 ; Platform 17 Memorial · 0.93 ...
[24]
Reconstruction, post-war era and present day | Stadtmuseum Berlin
Quickly soon however track repair work got under way. It was intense work at the AVUS. Work crews removed the worst war damage and made the track drivable again ...Missing: WWII | Show results with:WWII
[25]
Every F1 Circuit Ever - Part 1: F1's Most Dangerous Historic Circuits
Sep 6, 2025 · AVUS closed for good in 1998, with the main straights now forming part of the Bundesautobahn 115. The deadly banking was demolished in 1967, ...
[26]
Avus 1993 v1.0 - eSport-Racing.de
Nov 4, 2018 · 1937: a steep banking is made at the north turn. The track is now 19.279 km 1951: a new South curve is made, shortening the track to 8.299 km.
[27]
AVUS: The World's First Highway | The Columbist: Berlin's lifestyle ...
AVUS was the first ever freeway between Berlin and Potsdam, open for traffic during the week, and a place for car racing on the weekends.Missing: facts | Show results with:facts
[28]
Avus, Berlin's legendary track - Orbitlane
Fits and starts story ... The inauguration took place on September 24 and 25, 1921, with the holding of various races. No incident to deplore in spite of the ...
[29]
Germany's Weirdest Race Track Was Just Two 6-Mile Straights ...
Mar 25, 2025 · Over the course of this track's life it played host to Grand Prix racing, World Sportscars, BMW M1 Procar, the Interserie championship, Porsche ...Missing: achievements | Show results with:achievements
[30]
From autobahn anomaly to motorway marvel: Berlin's roadside ...
Dec 20, 2018 · On days without races, it was used as a toll road: wealthy Berliners paid 10 Marks for a quick route to their lakeside homes along what is ...
[31]
Auto Union - Audi MediaCenter
It seems almost incredible today, but by 1936 the Auto Union racing cars were reaching speeds of up to 380 kilometres an hour on the long straights of the Avus ...Missing: pre- BMW
[32]
1937 Auto Union Typ C Stromlinie - Supercars.net
This Auto Union was specially shaped for top speed on the Avus circuit near Berlin. At the time, it was the fastest track in the world.
[33]
1921 Avus GP - The Nostalgia Forum - The Autosport Forums
Aug 21, 2018 · The first race meeting was held on September 24/25, 1921, organized by the AvD (Automobilclub von Deutschland) as special attraction to the International ...Information Regarding A.V.U.S. - TNF's Archive - Autosport ForumsAvus track - TNF's Archive - The Autosport ForumsMore results from forums.autosport.comMissing: inaugural | Show results with:inaugural
[34]
German Grand Prix 1926 - Racing Sports Cars
The entry was remarkable for its diversity. Instead of adopting the GP formula the AvD wisely chose a rather free and easy 'sports car' formula.Missing: history World War inaugural 1921
[35]
The first German Grand Prix - Deutschlandmuseum
One element of this campaign was the construction of the Automobile Traffic and Practice Road (AVUS) in south-west Berlin. Conceived as a race track, it was ...
[36]
Dominance of the Silver Arrow in the 1930s - Mercedes 500SEC.com
Races and speed records ... In December 1934, Caracciola then set an international C class record of 311.98 km/h on the Avus track, with his W 25 record car ...
[37]
Racing With the Auto Union Silver Arrows 1934-1939 - Planet Diecast
In 1936, Berlin's Grand Prix track, Avus, underwent redevelopment ... lap record of 4:04.2. Ultimately, after having to stop for tyres, Rosemeyer ...Missing: times | Show results with:times
[38]
Avus-Rennen 1937… - primotipo...
May 27, 2016 · The final race of the meeting was the fastest race ever until the Monza 500 in 1958, Rosemeyer's Auto Union fastest practice lap was 176.7mph ...
[39]
49 – 1937 Avusrennen - Motor Sport Magazine
Jun 17, 2016 · Auto Union brought along two streamlined speed-record cars for Bernd Rosemeyer and Luigi Fagioli, plus a brace of standard Type Cs for Ernst ...<|control11|><|separator|>
[40]
The AVUS | Lost Places Berlin - Digital Cosmonaut
The most notorious change that was undertaken on the AVUS was the conversion of Nordkurve (northern curve) from a flat hairpin curve into a steep bank turn.
[41]
Racing at AVUS - berlinspirational
The construction started in 1913, but due to the lack of money after World War I, the first highway in Europe was not finished until 1921. Next to car and ...Missing: funding investors 1909-1913
[42]
AVUS - The Strangest Track in the History of Racing - - SnapLap
After WW2, AVUS hosted the first race in 1951, for Formula 2 and Formula 3 championships. The track was shortened and was very close to the well-known ...
[43]
Temple Of Speed>> Original Autobahn Racing: Avus - Speedhunters
Aug 28, 2009 · This is a temple of speed which will forever be linked with the pre-WWII era Auto Union and Mercedes Silver Arrows streamline Grand Prix cars ...
[44]
Information Regarding A.V.U.S. - TNF's Archive - Autosport Forums
The Avus outside the capital Berlin in the Grunewald forest, consisted of two nine km long straights, which ran next to each other, separated by a narrow grass ...Missing: southern | Show results with:southern
[45]
German Grand Prix 1959 - Brooks and Ferrari shine amid the tedium
Tony Brooks won the German Grand Prix, a rather bizarre affair which was split into two 30-lap heats run on the same afternoon at the unfamiliar ...
[46]
1959 German Grand Prix | Motorsport Database
Tony Brooks (Ferrari Dino 246), 2m04.5, 149.118 mph, F1, 1959. First Race. 1926 German Grand Prix. 3,460. Championships. View. 20,027. Results. View. 25,967.
[47]
AVUS - German Grand Prix, 1959 - SlotRacer Online
The race was now no more than a Ferrari procession for the last twenty laps, and only the winner Tony Brooks, and his team mates Dan Gurney and Phil Hill ...
[48]
Database » AVUS Race Winners - TouringCars.Net
AVUS touring car race winners ; 1996. 16 · Emanuele PIRRO ; 1996. 15 · Armin HAHNE ; 1995. 14 · Joachim WINKELHOCK ; 1995. 13 · Kieth O'DOR ; 1995. 4 · Kurt THIIM.
[49]
AVUS - WOI Encyclopedia Italia
Aug 7, 2009 · At the time of opening, AVUS was 19.5 km (12 miles) long - each straight being approximately half that length, and joined at each end by flat ...
[50]
Database » DTM 1995 » Round 3 Results - TouringCars.Net
Deutsche Tourenwagen Meisterschaft 1995 » AVUS Round 3 Results ; P · Nr · Driver. Nat ; 1. 6. Kurt THIIM ; 2. 5. Alexander GRAU ; 3. 7. Alessandro NANNINI ; 4. 26.
[51]
Carlo Cattaneo - Motorsport Memorial
The 1926 German Grand Prix was marred by a number of accidents that resulted in the deaths of three other men. On race day, two days after Cattaneo's death ...
[52]
Motorsport Memorial -
The event was marred by a number of accidents that resulted in the deaths of four men. The first fatality occurred at the end of Friday practice session, when ...
[53]
1931 Internationales Avusrennen (Avus Grand Prix), 1931 Dauphine ...
Nov 17, 2024 · Severe tire problems were encountered during practice but were only solved in part, leaving most of the large cars with inferior tires. A ...
[54]
PART 3, 1935 Avus-Rennen (Avus Grand Prix), 1935 Picardie ...
Aug 27, 2024 · The tyre failure was unavoidable in a race where tyre wear was all important and Rosemeyer with no experience naturally had pushed too hard.
[55]
Kieth O'Dor / Odor - Motorsport Memorial
The accident that claimed the life of Kieth Ódor was similar to Gregg Hansford's fatal crash which happened at Phillip Island, Australia, earlier in the year.
[56]
AVUS - Wikipedia
It hosted several pre-World War II races and one Formula One World Championship race - the 1959 German Grand Prix. Automobil-Verkehrs- und Übungsstraße (AVUS) ...Missing: achievements | Show results with:achievements
[57]
List of fatalities at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway - Wikipedia
59 of the 74 fatalities have occurred as part of the Indianapolis 500 (including the race, qualifying, and practice). Fatalities have also occurred in ...Gordon Smiley · Tony Renna · Peter Lenz · William Bourque
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Nach 77 Jahren: Berlin nimmt Abschied von den Avus-Rennen
Apr 29, 1998 · ... Lärm und die Abgase nicht zuzumuten. Motorsport in der Innenstadt ist nicht mehr zeitgemäß. Ich weine der Avus keine Träne nach." Cramer ...
[59]
Location of the study site-AVUS A115, Berlin, Germany
The AVUS has three asphalt lanes per direction with a width of 4 m per lane with an annual average daily traffic (AADT) of 90.000-100.000 vehicles per day.Missing: Autobahn | Show results with:Autobahn
[60]
Traffic Volumes ADT 2019 - Berlin.de
Road: A 115 Zubringer Magdeburg/Leipzig (AVUS) Section: AS Hüttenweg – AD Funkturm. 92,000 MV/24h. Road: A 103 Abzweig Zehlendorf Section: AS Filandastraße ...Missing: A115 Autobahn
[61]
261.2 km/h: speed record at the AVUS race - Mercedes-Benz Archive
Hermann Lang wins the final of the open-formula AVUS race in Berlin in a streamlined W 125 racing car, clocking an average speed of 261.2 km/h.
[62]
Mercedes speed record cars of the 1930s | Classic Driver Magazine
Jan 28, 2003 · January 28, 1938: Rudolf Caracciola, a Mercedes-Benz racing car and the all-time world record of 432.7 kilometers per hour on the motorway.