Rennstrecke Dessau, motorsport racing track
Rennstrecke Dessau is a historic racing track on a straight section of the A9 highway in the Anhalt-Bitterfeld region. It stretches for about 22 kilometers and was built in the 1930s as a testing ground and race venue.
The highway was built in the late 1930s and was designed for both speed testing and to serve as an emergency landing field for aircraft. After World War II, official racing events with race cars, motorcycles, and sidecars took place between 1949 and 1956, until increasing traffic made racing impossible.
The place was a gathering point of excitement for the region. Tens of thousands of spectators came to watch the races, making these events important occasions for the community after the war.
The site is easily accessible today along the A9, with remnants of racing curves and bridges still visible. You can walk through the flat, open area and observe the historical structures, particularly between Dessau-Ost and Dessau-Süd.
The highway bridges were built without middle supports so they could serve as emergency landing fields for aircraft if needed. The famous driver Rudolf Caracciola set a speed record here in 1939, reaching almost 400 kilometers per hour.
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