Wankdorf Stadium (1925)

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Wankdorf Stadium
Aerial view of the stadium in 1954
Aerial view of the stadium in 1954
Data
place SwitzerlandSwitzerland Bern , Switzerland
Coordinates 602007  /  201300 coordinates: 46 ° 57 '46 "  N , 7 ° 27' 54"  O ; CH1903:  602007  /  201300
opening October 18, 1925
demolition August 3, 2001
surface Natural grass
capacity 22,000 places (2001)
64,000 places (1954)
playing area 105 × 68 m
Societies)
Events

The stadium Wankdorf was a football stadium in Wankdorf field headquarters in the city of Bern . For over 70 years it was the stadium of the BSC Young Boys football club and for a long time the largest stadium in Switzerland .

In August 2001, the stadium was torn down and replaced by the Stade de Suisse , completed in 2005 , which has also had the traditional name since July 1, 2020.

The final of the Football World Cup in 1954 , later known as the Miracle of Bern , took place in the Wankdorf Stadium, which made it world famous. In 1961 the final of the European Cup Winners 'Cup and in 1989 the final of the European Cup Winners' Cup took place in Bern.

history

From 1924 YB played on the Bern Wankdorffeld. On October 18, 1925, the first Wankdorf Stadium was opened with a total of 22,000 seats, of which 5,000 are covered standing and 1,200 are covered seats. During the 1930s it was expanded in several steps: a second training field was added in 1933, and the corner towers in 1936. In 1939, with the construction of the standing ramp opposite the grandstand, the stadium was expanded to 42,000 spectators. The old stadium was demolished for the 1954 World Cup and completely rebuilt by architects Walter Haemmig and Virgilio Muzzulini . A total of 64,000 spectators were now seated in 56,000 standing and 8,000 seats.

In 2001, the now outdated and dilapidated second Wankdorf Stadium was demolished - for safety reasons, the audience capacity was only about 22,000 towards the end. At the last point game in the old stadium, Fritz Walter and Gyula Grosics, two of the most important players in what is probably the most memorable game in the history of the stadium, were present. A piece of turf found its way into the garden of the Federal Chancellery in Berlin. Shortly after the demolition work began on building a new stadium on the same site. The Stade de Suisse was completed and inaugurated at the end of July 2005.

The final for the Swiss Cup winner was held almost every year in Bern until 2000, with a few exceptions. The cup final has been held in Bern again since 2006, but is awarded annually.

Football World Cup 1954

The well-known picture of the clock tower, around which the crowd huddles, adorns the back of the restored match clock in front of the Stade de Suisse today.
Wankdorf Stadium shortly before its demolition in 2001
Stand section and stone from the demolished stadium, exhibited in the German Football Museum in Dortmund

In 1954 the final of the soccer world championship between Germany and Hungary took place in Wankdorf , which went down in soccer history as the miracle of Bern .

In the game, which took place on July 4, 1954, the clearly favored team of Hungary and the outsider Germany faced each other. These teams met in the group stage. Hungary had won it with 8: 3. For many, surprisingly, the German national team made it to the final. It was almost impossible for the Hungarians to be able to achieve the World Cup title. Initially, the game took the expected course, with Hungary leading 2-0 after just eight minutes. However, the Germans equalized to 2-2 just ten minutes later, which caused an exuberant euphoria among the German fans. The game remained balanced for a long time, but initially no further goals were scored. But in the 84th minute, what no one expected at the beginning happened: Helmut Rahn shot Germany to its first world title. The comment by Herbert Zimmermann is legendary .

The game is sometimes referred to as "the actual birth of the Federal Republic of Germany". Nine years after the end of the Second World War, the world championship seemed to be tearing the Germans out of the deprivation and depression of the post-war period.

Since that game, the Wankdorf Stadium was world famous.

Final for the European Cup

On May 31, 1961, FC Barcelona and Benfica Lisbon faced each other in the final of the European Cup in the Wankdorf Stadium. It was noteworthy that two former Hungarian internationals, Sándor Kocsis and Zoltán Czibor , who had left their home country after the 1956 Hungarian uprising , participated for FC Barcelona. Both had been on the pitch in the 1954 final and again the venue brought them no luck: despite a 1-0 lead, Barcelona lost 3-2.

Final of the European Cup Winners' Cup

On May 10, 1989, the final of the European Cup Winners' Cup took place between FC Barcelona and Sampdoria Genoa . The Wankdorf Stadium was sold out with 42,707 spectators. This was the last time so many people were in the stadium. After that, individual sectors were gradually blocked for security reasons.

In art

Sönke Wortmann's 2003 German feature film The Miracle of Bern is set partly in the Wankdorf Stadium. These scenes had to be computer animated because the stadium had been demolished two years earlier.

Web links

Commons : Stadion Wankdorf  - Collection of images, videos and audio files