Architect Albert Speer designed the "March Field" as an arena for Wehrmacht maneuvers (with an interior area of 955 x 610 meters, larger than 80 football/soccer fields). Although its name may suggest the ancient war god Mars, the March Field was actually named to commemorate the re-introduction of conscription in March 1935. The field was planned to have 24 towers segmenting the visitors’ grandstands; by 1939, 11 had been finished. The entire complex was to have capacity for about 250,000 people. A group of colossal statues, including a goddess of victory and warriors, was planned for the central grandstand.

Thousands of homes were needed in Nuremberg after the destruction caused by World War II. In 1957 the city began building the new suburb of Langwasser on the southeastern part of the former Party Rally Grounds – the largest urban expansion program in the Federal Republic at the time. The 11 towers on the Märzfeld were blown up in 1966–67 to clear space. Today, the Langwasser district is home to about 35,000 residents.