Strahov Stadium

Velký strahovský stadion
Location Strahov,
Prague, Czech Republic
Owner Prague
Capacity 220,000[1] 56,000 seated[2]
Field size 9 football pitches
(total 310.5 x 202.5 m)
Surface grass
Opened 1926
Tenants
AC Sparta Prague (training only)
Strahov Stadium from southeast
Interior of the stadium from northeast corner (2006)

The Great Strahov Stadium (Czech: Velký strahovský stadion) is a stadium in the Strahov district of Prague, Czech Republic. It was built for displays of synchronized gymnastics on a massive scale, with a field three times longer and three times wider than the standard Association football pitch.

When it was an active sports venue, it had a capacity of around 220,000 spectators, making it the largest stadium and the fourth largest sports venue ever built.[1]

Today, it is no longer in use for competitive sports events; it is a training centre for Sparta Prague, and is used to host pop concerts. The stadium is sited on Petřín hill overlooking the old city. It can be accessed by taking the Petřín funicular up the hill through the gardens.

Construction

Construction began based on plans by the architect Alois Dryák, on a wooden stadium in 1926, which was replaced by concrete grandstands in 1932. Further construction occurred in 1948 and 1975. The playing field, surrounded by seating on all sides, is 63,500 square metres.

The stadium currently serves Sparta Prague as a training centre with 8 football pitches (6 pitches of standard sizes and 2 futsal pitches).

History

Synchronized gymnastics

Main article: Spartakiad

The original stadium dates from the First Republic between the World Wars and served as a venue for popular Sokol displays of massive synchronized gymnastics. The Sokol displays were renamed Spartakiáda during the communist era, referring to the power and strength of the slave uprising led by Spartacus..

Performances with several hundred gymnasts making various complex formations and exercising identically while accompanied by tunes from traditional folk music attracted the attention of many visitors. Some of the most popular shows were those of young well-trained recruits who wore only boxer shorts while on the display or women dancing in miniskirts. The groups of volunteer gymnasts (unlike the soldiers, who were ordered to practise and participate) were put together from keen local athletic association members who regularly trained for the show throughout the year prior to the event, which repeated every five years.

1960 Spartakiad performance in Strahov Stadium

Motor racing also took place in the stadium in the mid-1960s.

American football

A few days after the end of World War II (a few months after the end of hostilities in Europe), two units of the United States Army played a friendly match of American football. On September 28, 1945, a crowd of 400,000 watched soldier-athletes of the 94th Infantry Division defeat a team from the XXII Corps, by a score of 6-0.

Concerts

Since 1990, the stadium has been used for concerts.

The future of the stadium

In the last decade several studies have looked at adaptive reuse and preservation of this unique structure. There are plans to convert the mammoth Strahov stadium complex into a commercial zone complete with hotels, restaurants and shops. Another suggestion is to convert the area into a "leisure mecca for the 21st century". There were plans to rebuild the area as an Olympic village if Prague won a future Olympic bid; bidding for 2016 was unsuccessful.[1]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 Satter, Andrew (11 December 2003). "Rethinking 'Fortress Strahov'". The Prague Post.
  2. ↑ Švec, Petr (7 September 2007). "Pražská nej: nejstarší panelák i největší stadion" (in Czech). MAFRA.

Coordinates: 50°4′49.21″N 14°23′16.30″E / 50.0803361°N 14.3878611°E / 50.0803361; 14.3878611

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