Nazis' capital becomes a German internet hit

IT was to be Hitler’s Rome, the capital of the dictator’s 1,000-year reich, complete with triumphal avenue and a huge dome to hold 180,000 people for political rallies. But Germania was never built, and the country turned its back on the plans.

Now, however, thousands of Germans are now turning to a website to see a 3D animation of what Hitler’s architect, Albert Speer, had planned .

Since the company behind the project offered posters and an interactive CD of Germania last month, its website - panorama-berlin.de - has become the most visited in Germany. A company spokesman said: "There is a great deal of interest in what the capital might have turned out like. This is not a Nazi freak show, but satisfying an historical hunger."