Grüne Hölle
Nürburgring Nordschleife
Length
20.8km (Nordschleife only)
Elevation
620m at Hohe Acht
Hairpins
73 corners (numbered and named)
73 corners. 300 metres of elevation change. The Green Hell.
The Map
The Nordschleife was built between 1925 and 1927 as part of a post-World War I infrastructure project designed to employ the German workforce and provide a world-class racing facility. It covers 20.8 kilometres of the Eifel mountains, dropping and rising over 300 metres of elevation change through 73 named and numbered corners. It is simultaneously a public toll road open to any holder of a valid driving licence, and the world's most demanding permanent racing circuit. This combination is unique and should not be as safe as it is.
The Approach
You approach from the town of Nürburg — an unremarkable German market town dominated by a medieval castle. The paddock area, pit buildings and the approach road are modern Grand Prix circuit infrastructure. The Nordschleife begins at the T13 ford section: four lanes narrow to two, the Armco closes in, the road dips and rises and immediately the banking angle of the first bend tells you that this is a different order of driving experience from anything else called a "road."
The Ascent
The sequence from the start to Flugplatz — where the car becomes light over the crest — covers less than 3km and includes the fastest section of the circuit. By Schwedenkreuz the road is narrow and fast; by Aremberg the first serious downhill braking zone demands commitment. The middle section — Bergwerk, Kesselchen, Klostertal — is where the uninitiated lose their reference points and the experienced driver finds their rhythm. Karussell, the famous banked hairpin, is the circuit's visual signature and its greatest humbling experience.
“The Nürburgring is unpredictable. You never learn it. You only get better at being surprised by it.”
— Sir Stirling Moss
History
The Nordschleife hosted the German Grand Prix from 1927 through 1976. Niki Lauda's crash in the 1976 German Grand Prix — and his miraculous survival — ended Formula One's relationship with the circuit and began its modern life as a cultural site. Sir Jackie Stewart coined "Green Hell" during his era of dominance here in the late 1960s. Manufacturers began using it as a development benchmark: the Nürburgring lap record is now the most contested performance figure in the automotive industry, each new record announced with press releases and television coverage.
What to Drive Here
Practical Notes
Touristenfahrten (public driving) takes place on most weekdays when no racing event is scheduled. Cost is approximately €30 per lap. Motorcycles, modified vehicles, and racing tyres are generally permitted. Emergency services are present but response times vary — the circuit is 20.8km long. Minimum insurance coverage is advised. The paddock is open; the atmosphere on Touristenfahrten days is unlike anything else in motorsport culture.
Best Season
April through October
Access
Touristenfahrten (public days) throughout season
Surface
Asphalt, variable — multiple surfaces
Country
Germany, Eifel, Rhineland-Palatinate