Weidenpescher Park
The Weidenpescher Park is a 55 hectare green area in Cologne-Weidenpesch , in which several important sports facilities are located. In the years before the First World War , a sports center was built here, which only had to move back into the second row with the construction of the sports park in Müngersdorf from 1923. Cologne's first golf course was also located in Weidenpescher Park .
Next to the racecourse there are tennis courts used by the KTC Weidenpescher Park tennis club, founded in 1920. In addition to the six outdoor courts, there is also a tennis hall with three courts that was inaugurated in December 1990.
Cologne-Weidenpesch horse racing track
The mayor of Cologne , Wilhelm von Becker , proposed in 1896 that horse racing be organized in Cologne. A modern racetrack was to be built, the events of which would bring even more tourism to the Rhenish metropolis. On April 29, 1897, the Cologne Racing Club 1897 eV was founded. Shortly afterwards, the groundbreaking ceremony for the horse racing track took place on September 3, 1898, when racing began. Since then, horse races have been held here. The two-storey grandstand, which has been a listed building since 1983, was built by the architect and racecourse expert Otto March . Because of its year of construction, the racecourse is the first sports facility in Cologne.
The Cologne racecourse is famous worldwide in equestrian sport, because some important races are held here. These include Germany's largest international race, the Prize of Europe and Germany's oldest race, the Oppenheim Union race, which has existed since 1834 (in Cologne since 1947). The Gerling Prize was founded in 1921 as the "Birlinghoven Prize". From 1934 it was financed by Robert Gerling and named after him. Another important race is the Mehl-Mülhens race . The former Rhineland Cup has been held in Munich as the Bavarian Grand Prix since 2012.
The Cologne racing club organizes horse races all year round. There is space for 20,000 spectators at horse races in the stands and outdoors, and around 140,000 visitors come to the races each season.
The following group races are held every year on the Weidenpesch racecourse :
- Group I:
- Group II:
- Group III:
Jockey school
Germany's only jockey school , the German Jockey School , has existed on the site since March 2003 . This was preceded by plans by the Central Association of German Horse Racing and the Directorate for Thoroughbred Breeding and Races with regard to the possibilities of promoting young jockeys in Germany. At the school, the profession of horse manager with a focus on racing is taught.
Weidenpescher Park stadium
In Weidenpescher Park, next to the racecourse, was one of the largest German football stadiums of its time with a capacity of 16,000 spectators, from 1903 to 2002 the sporting home of VfL Cologne 1899 , the city's oldest football club. In 1905 and 1910 the finals for the German soccer championship took place here. The grandstand built in 1920 is Germany's oldest surviving football grandstand. The old auditorium, built in a wood and steel construction, has been a listed building since March 3, 1989. Flea markets have been held regularly on the former soccer field since 2002. The grandstand was used between June 10, 2002 and August 10, 2002 as a filming location for scenes from the movie The Miracle of Bern by Sönke Wortmann .
Coordinates: 50 ° 58 ′ 34.6 " N , 6 ° 57 ′ 16.9" E
See also
Web links
- Side of the Weidenpesch racecourse
- Pictures of the old stadium at the racetrack
- More stadium pictures on football culture
- Current pictures of the old grandstand on Lost-Place.org