This torch, made of polished steel, was designed by the sculptor Walter Lemcke and Peter Wolf. It was produced in the Friedrich Krupp Factory, the same famous German factory that by order of Adolf Hitler produced all armaments of the Third Reich. On the handle is inscribed «Fackelstaffellauf Olympia-Berlin 1936», with the Olympic rings and the German eagle superimposed. On the bottom part, the line of the flame’s route from Olympia to Berlin. On the platform, the inscription «Organisationskomitee für die XI Olympiade Berlin 1936-Als Dank dem Träger». For the first time in the history of the modern Olympic Games, the Olympic flame was lit directly in Olympia. This is because during the 1934 edition of the games, the International Olympic Committee approved the proposal made by the General Secretery of the Berlin Games Organizing Committee to carry the flame from Olympia to Berlin.

The Berlin Games are best remembered for Adolf Hitler’s failed attempt to use them to prove his Aryan racial superiority theories. As it turned out, the most popular hero of the Games was the African-American sprinter and long jumper Jesse Owens, who won four gold medals in the 100m, 200m, 4x100m relay and long jump. The 1936 Games were the first to be broadcast on television. Twenty-five television viewing rooms were set up in the Greater Berlin area, allowing the locals to follow the Games free of charge. Basketball, canoeing and field handball all made their first appearances in this Games.