The Nürburgring is a motorsport complex built into the hills of the Eifel mountains near the village of Nürburg in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. Construction began in September 1925 and the circuit opened in the spring of 1927, originally conceived as a proving ground for German automakers and a venue to put the country on the international racing map.
The facility’s centerpiece is the Nordschleife (‘North Loop’), a brutally demanding 20.8-kilometer (12.9-mile) circuit with over 70 corners and dramatic elevation changes. After Scottish F1 champion Jackie Stewart won a fog-shrouded, rain-soaked race there in 1968, he dubbed it ‘the Green Hell,’ a nickname that has stuck for more than half a century and is now used worldwide to describe the track’s fearsome reputation.
Stats at a Glance
- Location: Nürburg, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany
- Opened: 1927
- Capacity: About 150,000 spectators
- Nordschleife Length: 20.8 km (12.9 mi)
- GP-Strecke Length: 5.148 km (3.2 mi)
- Signature Event: 24 Hours Nürburgring (annually since 1970)
- Nickname: “The Green Hell”
The Nordschleife: The Green Hell
The Nordschleife’s combination of blind crests, off-camber turns, and rapidly changing weather across its long, forested lap made it one of the most feared circuits in motorsport. Its danger became tragically clear during the 1976 German Grand Prix, when Niki Lauda crashed and was badly burned; that race was the last Formula 1 World Championship event held on the full 10-plus-kilometer circuit, after which F1 shifted to the shorter, purpose-built GP-Strecke.
Despite losing top-tier F1 competition, the Nordschleife never went quiet. It remains a proving ground for automakers testing production and performance cars, and on non-event days the track opens to the public for paid ‘Touristenfahrten’ (tourist laps), letting everyday drivers experience the same corners that have humbled professional racers for generations.
A Century of Motorsport History
The Nürburgring hosted the German Grand Prix intermittently from 1951 through 2013 and the European Grand Prix in the 1980s and 1990s, with Michael Schumacher recording the most Formula 1 victories at the venue, five wins between 1995 and 2006. The complex also includes the modern GP-Strecke, built in 1984, which continues to host Grand Prix racing and other international series.
Since 1970 the track has been home to the 24 Hours Nürburgring, an endurance race combining the Nordschleife and GP-Strecke into a single 25.4-kilometer combined circuit that draws roughly 200-plus cars and hundreds of thousands of spectators each year. In 2014, Russian businessman Viktor Kharitonin acquired a majority stake in the facility, which continues to operate as both a working race track and a tourist attraction.
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Nürburgring FAQs
Why is the Nürburgring called the ‘Green Hell’?
F1 champion Jackie Stewart coined the nickname after winning a rain-and-fog-plagued race on the Nordschleife in 1968, and it has described the circuit’s unforgiving reputation ever since.
How long is the Nürburgring Nordschleife?
The Nordschleife measures about 20.8 kilometers (12.9 miles) and includes more than 70 corners and significant elevation changes.
Can the public still drive the Nürburgring today?
Yes. On days without scheduled racing, the Nordschleife opens to the public for paid tourist laps, and the separate GP-Strecke still hosts professional racing events.
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Photo: Sports Fan at English Wikipedia / Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.