Olympiastadion (Berlin)
UEFA | |
Full name | Olympiastadion Berlin |
---|---|
Former names | Deutsches Stadion[citation needed] |
Location | Westend, Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf, Berlin, Germany |
Public transit | Olympia-Stadion (U-Bahn) Olympiastadion (S-Bahn) |
Owner | Government of Berlin |
Operator | Olympiastadion Berlin GmbH |
Executive suites | 65[citation needed] |
Capacity | 74,667[1] |
Field size | 105 × 68 m[citation needed] |
Surface | Grass[citation needed] |
Construction | |
Built | 1934–1936[citation needed] |
Opened | 1 August 1936[citation needed] |
Renovated | 1974 (reconfiguration)[citation needed] 2000–2004 (World Cup)[citation needed] |
Construction cost | 43 million ℛ︁ℳ︁ (1936)[citation needed] €297 million (2016)[citation needed] |
Architect | Werner March/Albert Speer (1936)[citation needed] Friedrich Wilhelm Krahe (1974)[citation needed] |
Tenants | |
Hertha BSC (1963–1986, 1988–present) 1. FC Union Berlin (2021, 2023) Germany national football team (selected matches) SC Tasmania 1900 Berlin (1965–1966) Tennis Borussia Berlin (1974–1975, 1976–1977) Blau-Weiß 1890 Berlin (1984–1990) Berlin Thunder (2003–2007) | |
Website | |
olympiastadion |
The Olympiastadion (German pronunciation: [oˈlʏmpi̯aˌʃtaːdi̯ɔn] ⓘ; English: Olympic Stadium) is a sports stadium at Olympiapark Berlin in Berlin, Germany. It was originally built by Werner March for the 1936 Summer Olympics. During the Olympics, the record attendance was thought to be over 100,000. Today the stadium is part of the Olympiapark Berlin.
Since renovations in 2004, the Olympiastadion has a permanent capacity of 74,475 seats and is the largest stadium in Germany for international football matches. The Olympiastadion is a UEFA category four stadium.
Besides its use as an athletics stadium, the arena has built a footballing tradition. Since 1963, it has been the home of the
It will host six games in UEFA Euro 2024, including the final.[2]
History
1916–1934: Deutsches Stadion
During the 1912 Summer Olympics, the city of Berlin was designated by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to host the 1916 Summer Olympics. Germany's proposed stadium for this event was to be located in Charlottenburg, in the Grunewald Forest, to the west of Berlin—thus the stadium was also known as Grunewaldstadion. A horse racing-course already existed there which belonged to the Berliner Rennverein, and even today the old ticket booths survive on Jesse-Owens-Allee.[citation needed] The government of Germany decided not to build in the nearby Grunewald forest, or to renovate buildings that already existed. Because of this desire, they hired the same architect who originally had built the "Rennverein", Otto March.
March decided to bury the stadium in the ground ("Erdstadion", in German).[
1936–1945: Olympiastadion
In 1931, the International Olympic Committee selected Berlin to host the 11th Summer Olympics. Originally, the German government decided merely to restore the earlier Olympiastadion (Olympic Stadium) of 1916, with Werner March again retained to do this.
When the
Construction took place from 1934 to 1936. When the Reichssportfeld was finished, it was 132 hectares (330 acres).[citation needed] It consisted of (east to west): the Olympiastadion, the Maifeld (Mayfield, capacity of 50,000) and the Waldbühne amphitheatre (capacity of 25,000), in addition to various places, buildings and facilities for different sports (such as football, swimming, equestrian events, and field hockey) in the northern part.
Werner March built the new Olympiastadion on the foundation of the original Deutsches Stadion, once again with the lower half of the structure recessed 12 metres (40 feet) below ground level.
The capacity of the Olympiastadion reached 110,000 spectators. It also possessed a special stand for Adolf Hitler and his political associates.[
Maifeld
The Maifeld (Mayfield) was created as a huge lawn (11.2 hectares, 28 acres) for gymnastic demonstrations, specifically annual May Day celebrations by the government.[citation needed] The area was surrounded by 19 metres of land elevation (62 ft), even though the Olympiastadion (to the east) was only 17 metres (55 ft) high.[citation needed] The total capacity was 250,000 people, with 60,000 in the large stands that extended at the west end.
Also located there were the Langemarck-Halle (below) and the
During the 1936 Olympics, the Maifeld was used for polo and equestrian dressage events.
After the Second World War, the occupying forces of the British Army (Berlin Infantry Brigade) annually celebrated the King's or Queen's Official Birthday on the Maifeld and used it for a variety of sporting activities including cricket. Starting in 2012, Maifeld became home to the cricket clubs of Berlin.[3]
Bell Tower
The Bell Tower crowned the western end of the Reichssportfeld planted amid the tiers of the Maifeld stands. It was 77 metres (247 ft) high.[citation needed] From its peak could be observed the whole city of Berlin.[citation needed] During the games, it was used as an observation post by administrators, police officials, doctors, and the media.
In the tower was the Olympic Bell. On its surface were the
The Bell Tower was the only part of the Reichssportfeld that was destroyed in the war.[
In 1947, the British
The recreation of the tower was carried out from 1960 to 1962, once again by the architect Werner March, following the original blueprints.[citation needed] The present tower became an important tourist destination offering a panorama of Berlin, Spandau, the Havel Valley, Potsdam, Nauen and Hennigsdorf.
The most significant battle[according to whom?] around the Olympiastadion was in April 1945 when the Soviet army fought to capture it.[citation needed] This was during the final battle of the Second World War in Europe, with the total invasion of Berlin as the Allies' target.[citation needed] The Olympiastadion survived the war almost untouched; it only suffered the impact of machine gun shots.
1945–1990: West Berlin era
After the war, the former Reichssportfeld became the headquarters of the British military occupation forces.[citation needed] The administration settled in the northeastern buildings designed by the March brothers in the 1920s, which the Third Reich had used for official sport organisations such as the Reich Academy of Physical Training and extended by 1936, adding the "Haus des deutschen Sports" (House of German Sports) and other buildings (which belong since 1994 to the Olympiapark Berlin, a central sporting facility of the City of Berlin).[citation needed] Soon, the British forces renovated war-damaged buildings but also converted interiors to their specific needs (one gymnasium was converted into a dining hall, another into a garage).[citation needed] From 1951 to 2005, the Olympischer Platz had a giant antenna transmitting for all the portable radios in Berlin.
From then until 1994 and their departure, British forces held an annual celebration of the
During those years,
matches.1990–2004: Reunified Berlin
In 1998, Berliners debated the destiny of the Olympiastadion in light of the legacy it represented for Germany.[citation needed] Some wanted to tear the stadium down and build a new one from scratch, while others favoured letting it slowly crumble "like the Colosseum in Rome".[citation needed] Finally, it was decided[by whom?] to renovate the Olympiastadion.
2004–present: Multi-purpose arena
The re-inauguration celebrations of the new Olympic Stadium were carried out on 31 July 2004, and 1 August 2004.[citation needed] On that day, Saturday, the party began with performances from Pink, Nena and Daniel Barenboim.[citation needed] It culminated at night with the opening ceremony.[citation needed] On day two, friendly matches were played between different categories of the club Hertha BSC and visiting teams.[citation needed] On 8 September 2004, Brazil played Germany.
From 2003 to 2007, the stadium was home to the Berlin Thunder.[citation needed]
In 2011, the venue hosted the World Culture Festival organized by the Art of Living where 70,000 people meditated for peace.[5]
In 2018, the venue hosted the 2018 European Athletics Championships.
Renovation
With the intention of creating a more intimate atmosphere for football games, the
The roof was extended to cover a total of 37,000 square metres (400,000 sq ft), with 20 roof-supporting columns carrying a weight of 3,500 tonnes (3,900 short tons) of steel.[citation needed] The roof rises 68 metres (223 ft) over the seats and is made up of transparent panels that allow sunlight to stream in during the day.[citation needed] The western portion (on the Marathon Arch) is open to reveal the Bell Tower to the spectators.
The conservation factor of the Olympiastadion as a historical monument was also considered,[by whom?] especially with respect to the preservation of the natural stone blocks. After criticisms,[by whom?] the colour of the athletics track around the game field was changed from red to blue, reflecting the colours of Hertha BSC.
The renovations used 70,000 cubic metres (2,500,000 cu ft) of concrete and 20,000 cubic metres (710,000 cu ft) of pre-cast reinforced concrete elements.[citation needed] Some 12,000 cubic metres (420,000 cu ft) of concrete was demolished and removed and 30,000 cubic metres (1,100,000 cu ft) of natural stone was refurbished.
The Olympiastadion was equipped with the latest technology in artificial illumination and sound equipment. It has 113 VIP stands, a set of restaurants, and two underground garages (for 630 cars).[citation needed] The total cost of the remodelling and amplification was €242 million.[citation needed]
Capacity
The new Olympic Stadium has the highest all-seated capacity in Germany. It has a permanent capacity of 74,475 seats.[1] The upper tier has 31 seating rows at an average slope of 23° and houses 36,455 seats, of which 36,032 are regular seats, 290 are seats on the press stand and 133 are seats in skyboxes.[citation needed] The lower tier has 42 seating rows at an average angle of 25,4° and houses 38,020 seats, of which 32,310 are regular seats, 560 are box seats, 563 are lounge seats (expandable to 743), 4,413 are business seats and 174 are wheelchair spaces.[1]
For certain football matches, such as those between Hertha BSC and
The only stadiums in Germany that have higher total capacities are the
Tenant
The stadium has been used as the home venue for the
In 1968, Hertha returned to the first division, and to the Olympiastadion, and in 1971 sold the "Plumpe".[
When the Olympic Stadium was not picked to host matches for the UEFA Euro 1988 because of West Berlin's controversial status, the stadium held a Four Nations Tournament instead, and the DFB-Pokal final was awarded to Berlin for five years.[citation needed] It has been held there permanently since 1985.[citation needed] The stadium also hosted the women's DFB-Pokal finals from 1985 to 2009.
With the demolition of the Berlin Wall in November 1989, a spontaneous feeling of sympathy between Hertha and 1. FC Union Berlin from East Berlin arose,[according to whom?] which culminated in a friendly match at the Olympiastadion with 50,000 spectators (27 January 1990).[citation needed] In 1990, Hertha returned to the Bundesliga, although they fell again to the 2. Bundesliga from 1991 until 1997.
Since 1997, the club has improved,[according to whom?] climbing up the Bundesliga table and qualifying for the UEFA Champions League, with matches against top[according to whom?] European teams like Chelsea and AC Milan.
Notable events
The Olympiastadion held the world record for the attendance of a baseball game during the 1936 Olympics thought to be over 100,000.
The stadium hosted five American Bowls between 1990 and 1994. The stadium was also home to Berlin Thunder, an American football team in NFL Europe, from 2003 until the league's operator, the U.S. National Football League, closed down the money-losing competition in 2007.
The stadium also hosted The World Culture Festival. 2011 was to celebrate 30 years of service to humanity by Art of Living Foundation.
The stadium also hosts the annual Internationales Stadionfest since 1937, which served as an IAAF Golden League event until 2010.
The stadium hosted the 2009 World Championships in Athletics where Usain Bolt broke the 100 metres and 200 metres world records.
1936 Summer Olympics
On 1 August 1936, the Olympics were officially inaugurated by the head of state
While the Olympic flame had been used for the first time in Amsterdam in 1928, in Berlin 1936 a marathon-like tour of the Olympic torch was introduced, from Olympia in Greece, crossing six frontiers with a journey of 3,000 kilometres (1,900 mi) to Berlin, through Greece, Bulgaria, Yugoslavia, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, Austria and Germany.[citation needed] The original idea of this Olympic torch relay was Carl Diem's, who was a political advisor to Propaganda Minister Joseph Goebbels, specialising in Olympic affairs.[citation needed] The Olympics were the subject of the propaganda film Olympia (1938) by Leni Riefenstahl.
Among the sport competitions, one of the most memorable events[ events.
1974 FIFA World Cup Group A
Three matches from Group A (West Germany, Chile, East Germany and Australia) were played in the Olympiastadion. The third match, Australia vs Chile, was played in torrential rain.[citation needed] The historic[according to whom?] match between the two German teams, however, was played in Hamburg.[citation needed] The hosts, West Germany, won the tournament.
Team | Pts | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
East Germany | 5 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 3 |
West Germany | 4 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 3 |
Chile | 2 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | −1 |
Australia | 1 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 5 | −5 |
Date | Team #1 | Result | Team #2 | Round | Attendance |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
14 June 1974 | West Germany | 1–0 | Chile | First Round, Group A | 81,100[9] |
18 June 1974 | East Germany | 1–1 | 28,300[10] | ||
22 June 1974 | Australia | 0–0 | 17,400[11] |
2006 FIFA World Cup
The following matches were played in Berlin, for the 2006 FIFA World Cup:
Date | Time (CEST) | Team #1 | Result | Team #2 | Round | Spectators |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
13 June 2006 | 21:00 |
Brazil | 1–0 |
Croatia | 72,000 | |
15 June 2006 | 21:00 |
Sweden | 1–0 |
Paraguay | 72,000 | |
20 June 2006 | 16:00 |
Ecuador | 0–3 |
Germany | 72,000 | |
23 June 2006 | 16:00 |
Ukraine | 1–0 |
Tunisia | 72,000 | |
30 June 2006 | 17:00 |
Germany | 1–1 (4–2 pen.) |
Argentina | 72,000 | |
9 July 2006 | 20:00 |
Italy | 1–1 (5–3 pen.) |
France | Final |
69,000[12] |
2011 FIFA Women's World Cup
In 2011, the Olympiastadion hosted Germany's opening match in the 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup. It was the only match in the tournament to be contested at the stadium.
Date | Time (CEST) | Team #1 | Result | Team #2 | Round | Spectators |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
26 June 2011 | 18:00 |
Germany | 2–1 |
Canada | 73,680 |
2015 UEFA Champions League Final
In May 2013, the Olympiastadion was chosen as the venue for the
2023 Special Olympics World Summer Games
On 17 June 2023, the opening ceremony of the 2023 Special Olympics World Summer Games was held at the Olympic Stadium.[16]
UEFA Euro 2024
Olympiastadion will host six UEFA Euro 2024 matches, including a round of 16, a quarter-finals, and the final on 14 July 2024.[17]
Date | Time (CEST) | Team #1 | Result | Team #2 | Round | Spectators |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
15 June 2024 | 18:00 |
Spain | – |
Croatia | ||
21 June 2024 | 18:00 |
Poland | – |
Austria | ||
25 June 2024 | 18:00 |
Netherlands | – |
|||
29 June 2024 | 18:00 |
Runner-up Group A | – |
Runner-up Group B | ||
6 July 2024 | 21:00 |
Winner Match 43 | – |
Winner Match 44 | ||
14 July 2024 | 21:00 |
Winner Match 49 | – |
Winner Match 50 |
Concerts
Cultural references
- The stadium was used as a location scene in the cinematic cold-war spy drama The Quiller Memorandum (1966).[citation needed]
- In 2016, the stadium fielded the finish line of the 27th season of MTV's reality-competition series The Challenge, titled The Challenge: Battle of the Bloodlines.[18]
Transport
U-Bahn
The underground train (U-Bahn) U2 takes visitors directly to the station Olympia-Stadion.[citation needed] It's a short walk from there to the stadium (East Gate entrance: 500m, South Gate entrance: 870m).[citation needed] Average travel time: 14 minutes from Zoologischer Garten, 24 minutes from Potsdamer Platz, 34 minutes from Alexanderplatz.
S-Bahn
The suburban rail (S-Bahn) S3 and S9 takes visitors directly to the station Olympiastadion.[citation needed] It's a short walk from there to the stadium (South Gate entrance via exit Flatowallee: 200 m, East Gate entrance via exit Trakehner Allee: 250m).[citation needed] Average travel time: 7 minutes from Spandau station, 14 minutes from Zoologischer Garten, 22 minutes from Friedrichstrasse, 26 minutes from Alexanderplatz.[citation needed] For events in the Olympiastadion (for example, Hertha BSC games or international football matches) and in the Olympic Park (for example, Lollapalooza Berlin), special trains are used that stop at four terminal island platforms of the S-Bahn station.
Bus
With the bus lines M49 and 218 visitors can reach the stop Flatowallee.[citation needed] It's a short walk from there to the stadium.[citation needed] With the bus line 143 visitors can reach the underground station Neu-Westend.[citation needed] From there it is a walk[vague] directly to the stadium.[citation needed] Visitors also can take the underground train and exit at the station Olympiastadion.
See also
Literature
- "Olympic Stadium Berlin" by Andreas Janowski. Published by Andreas Janowski Verlag under the label "sights-on-audio"
- 1936 Summer Olympics official report. Volume 1. pp. 141–9, 154–62.
- Olympic Stadium: The Unity Derby. In: Sites of Unity (Haus der Geschichte), 2023.
References
- ^ a b c "Stadion". olympiastadion-berlin.de. Berlin: Olympiastadion Berlin GmbH. n.d. Archived from the original on 12 March 2017. Retrieved 11 March 2017.
- ^ "Uefa EURO 2024 Final in the Olympiade stadion Berlin, Six Games in the Capital". 12 May 2012. Retrieved 9 October 2022.
- ^ Muir, Fabian (12 May 2012). "The past was war, the future is cricket". Cricinfo Magazine. Retrieved 12 May 2012.
- ^ Olympic Games Berlin 1936 – The emblem International Olympic Committee
- ^ Clearly, Lisa (5 July 2011). "Ravi Shankar's Mass Meditation for World Peace: 70,000 Gather at World Culture Festival". HuffingtonPost.com. Retrieved 8 March 2016.
- ^ "76.197 Zuschauer gegen Bayern München". herthabsc.de. 20 March 2014. Retrieved 6 April 2015.
- ^ "Berliner Olympiastadion erhält 405 zusätzliche Sitze". Berliner Morgenpost. 24 March 2014. Retrieved 6 April 2015.
- ^ "Champions League in Olympiastadion". .fc-union-berlin.de. 4 July 2023. Retrieved 2 September 2023.
- ^ ""Match report – Germany FR – Chile"". FIFA.com. 14 June 1974. Archived from the original on 22 February 2015. Retrieved 6 October 2015.
- ^ ""Match report – Germany DR – Chile"". FIFA.com. 18 June 1974. Archived from the original on 13 April 2015. Retrieved 6 October 2015.
- ^ ""Match report – Australia – Chile"". FIFA.com. 22 June 1974. Archived from the original on 3 October 2015. Retrieved 6 October 2015.
- ^ "Match report – Italy – France". FIFA.com. 9 July 2006. Retrieved 13 July 2014.
- ^ "Berlin to Host 2015 Final in Olympic Stadium". Der Spiegel. 23 May 2013. Retrieved 26 February 2014.
- ^ "Full Time Report" (PDF). UEFA.org. Union of European Football Associations. 6 June 2015. Archived (PDF) from the original on 18 October 2015. Retrieved 6 June 2015.
- ^ "Çakır to referee UEFA Champions League final". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 18 May 2015. Archived from the original on 30 June 2019. Retrieved 6 June 2015.
- ^ "Special Olympics World Games sind eröffnet". kicker (in German). Retrieved 18 June 2023.
- ^ "Uefa EURO 2024 Final in the Olympiade stadion Berlin, Six Games in the Capital". 12 May 2012. Retrieved 9 October 2022.
- ^ Goodman, Jessica (16 February 2016). "The Challenge: Bloodlines finale recap: Family Matters". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 22 December 2021.
External links
- Official Olympiastadion Site
- Picture galleries: An illustrative walk along the facilities of the Olympischer Platz.