Olympic Stadium (Munich)
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At the heart of the Olympiapark München in northern Munich, the Olympiastadion was the main venue for the 1972 Summer Olympics. With a capacity of 80,000, the stadium also hosted events including football's 1974 World Cup Final and 1988 European Championship Final. Today it holds 69,250.
Designed by the German architect Günther Behnisch and the engineer Frei Otto, the Olympiastadion was considered revolutionary for its time: large sweeping canopies of plexiglass stabilised by steel cables were used for the first time in a large scale. The idea was to imitate the Alps and to set a counterpart to the Berlin Summer Olympics of 1936, which were held under the Nazi-Regime. The sweeping and transparent canopy was to symbolize the new, democratic and optimistic Germany. This is reflected in the official motto: "The Happy Games" ("die heiteren Spiele").
However, the stadium and its adjoining Olympic Village became infamous for the tragic events of the 1972 Olympics, rather than celebrated as the site of the great athletic achievements of competitors such as United States' swimmer Mark Spitz and pentathlete Mary Peters.
Following the Olympics, the stadium became the home of FC Bayern München, with their rival TSV 1860 München moving in during the 1990s. These two teams coexisted in the Olympiastadion until 2005, when both clubs moved to the purpose built Allianz Arena.
In addition to hosting the 1972 Olympic Games, the Olympiastadion also saw the legendary final of the 1974 World Cup, which resulted in a 2-1 victory for Germany against Holland.
In addition to being a sports venue, the Olympic Stadium plays host to many open-air concerts by the likes of Michael Jackson, AC/DC, Jon Bon Jovi, Robbie Williams, Metallica, and The Rolling Stones. Parts of the Rollerball (1975 film) were shot on the (then) futuristic site surrounding the stadium. Guns N' Roses filmed parts of their Estranged video there when they visited Munich in June 1993.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- Official site
- tum.de: Olympiapark (a student project of the tum/dept Architecture)
- Olympic Park CityPanorama
- Google Maps satellite photo
- WorldStadiums.com entry
| Summer Olympic stadia |
|---|
| Athens, 1896 • Paris, 1900 • St Louis, 1904 • London, 1908 • Stockholm, 1912 • Berlin, 1916 • Antwerp, 1920 • Paris, 1924 • Amsterdam, 1928 • Los Angeles, 1932 • Berlin, 1936 • Helsinki, 1940 • London, 1944 • London, 1948 • Helsinki, 1952 • Melbourne, 1956 • Rome, 1960 • Tokyo, 1964 • Mexico City, 1968 • Munich, 1972 • Montreal, 1976 • Moscow, 1980 • Los Angeles, 1984 • Seoul, 1988 • Barcelona, 1992 • Atlanta, 1996 • Sydney, 2000 • Athens, 2004 • Beijing, 2008 • London, 2012 |
| Preceded by: Estadio Azteca Mexico City |
FIFA World Cup Final Venue 1974 |
Succeeded by: Monumental de Nuñez Buenos Aires |
| Preceded by: Wembley Stadium London |
European Cup Final Venue 1979 |
Succeeded by: Santiago Bernabéu Madrid |
| Preceded by: Wembley Stadium London |
UEFA Champions League Final Venue 1993 |
Succeeded by: Olympic Stadium Athens |
| Preceded by: Stadio Olimpico Rome |
UEFA Champions League Final Venue 1997 |
Succeeded by: Amsterdam ArenA Amsterdam |
Categories: Athletics venues in Germany | FC Bayern Munich | Buildings and structures in Munich | FIFA World Cup stadiums | Football venues in Germany | Olympic stadiums | Tensile architecture | Sport in Munich | UEFA 5 star stadiums | UEFA European championship stadiums | Visitor attractions in Munich | 1972 Summer Olympic venues
