The “Automobil-Verkehrs- und Übungsstraße”, or Avus for short, which runs straight through the German capital Berlin, is considered by many the “mother” of German autobahns.
As the first road in the world built exclusively for automobiles, it represents the beginning of a success story that was to make German car brands some of the most popular in the world.
The grand opening in 1921 was a great success: 500,000 Berliners came to the inaugural race.
Due to the rapid development of ever more powerful vehicles in the following years, racing cars reached speeds of up to 350 km/h as early as 1935. For a long time, the Avus was thus one of the fastest race tracks in the world.
During the years of Germany’s division between 1961 and 1989, the “Avusrennen” or Avus race was one of the best attended events in West Berlin. On May 1, 1999, racing on the road was banned.
Today, the Avus serves as a connecting road between the western and southern parts of Berlin.
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