Zentralstadion
Leipzig was the home of the Central Stadium. It was built in 1955, and to save money, debris from the WWII 1945 bombings in Leipzig were used. It opened on THE 4th August 1956, and held 120,000 people, becoming the largest sports arena in Germany at this time. Football wise, it was used by SC Rotation Leipzig, renamed VfB Leipzig and now known as 1. FC Lokomotive Leipzig. The stadium hosted Bundesliga matches in 1993-94 season as the home to VfB Leipzig. The East Germany national team also used the ground from 1957-1989. The stadium’s record attendance was 100,000 people, in a match against SC Rotation Leipzig and SC Lokomotive Leipzig in 1956.
While the stadium was used for other sporting events, the rising maintenance costs meant that the city decided to build a smaller football only stadium inside the Zentralstadion in 1997. Construction took place from 2000-2004, and the old stadium would close doors in 2000. The new Zentralstadion was opened on the 17th November 2004, now known as the Red Bull Arena, home to Bundesliga club RB Leipzig. It sits inside the old Zentralstadion, while the outer walls of the old stadium are still preserved, making it look as though it’s a bowl within a bowl.
Müngersdorfer Stadion
Home to 1. FC Köln from 1923-2001, before the RheinEnergieStadion, the stadium that now stands where the Müngersdorfer Stadion stood. It held a peak capacity of 80,000.
The stadium was built to enhance Cologne after World War I, and it provided 15,000 people with jobs in the early 20s. It opened on 16 September 1923. It was one of the largest stadiums in Europe when built, at 80,000 capacity, although only 3,000 seats. It carried the nickname Mother of German stadiums, and was held in high regard by the German people. 50,000 took in its first International game as Germany drew 2-2 with Netherlands in 1927, and the stadium was used for numerous different events.
In 1973, the stadium was began construction to become the first fully covered stadium in Germany, and it was compeleted on the 12 November 1975, for a derby match between 1 FC Köln and Fortuna Köln, with the stadium now holding a capacity of 61,188.
It held two group games at the Euro 1988 tournament, but by the late 1990s it had aged and plans for a brand new stadium were put in place for Cologne to become a host city at the 2006 World Cup. The stadium closed its doors in 2001, and was demolished in several stages to allow 1. FC Köln to continue to play home games in the stadium. The new RheinEnergieStadion was completed in 2004 on the same site.
Rheinstadion
Built in Düsseldorf close to the Rhine in 1926. Fortuna Düsseldorf was there from 1953 to 1970 and again from 1972 to 2002. It could accommodate 54,000 spectators, but attendance went beyond that at the 1974 World Cup and the 1988 European Championships.
In 1974 the stadium was renovated for the World Cup, during which the stadium held five matches, with attendance reaching over 67,000 for a couple of those games involving West Germany. The 1981 European Cup Winners’ Cup Final was played here on the 13 May 1981, when Dinamo Tbilisi defeated Carl Zeiss Jena. West Germany returned here for a game in the 1988 Euros, drawing 1-1 with Italy, while the only other game at those Euros played here was a 3-1 win for Netherlands over England.
The stadium closed on 22 June 2002, and was demolished on 6 November 2002 with the Merkur Spiel-Arena taking its place in 2004.
Wedaustadion
The Wedaustadion was a stadium located in Duisburg from 1926-2003. It was the home to MSV Duisburg and had a capacity of 30,112.
It opened in 1926 and initially served as the home ground for the local football team, Duisburger SpV. Although it was first used for sport four years earlier in 1922, when the German Athletics Championships were held there.
In the early 1960s, before the formation of the Bundesliga, the Duisburg City Council decided to modernize the stadium. Between 1962 and 1964, the stadium was upgraded and the most modern grandstand in West Germany at the time was built with 6,500 covered seats and an additional 3,428 seats on the front stand.
When it became clear that MSV Duisburg (then called Meidericher SV) would be one of the founding members of the Bundesliga, the city made it clear that the club would play its home games at the Wedaustadion. In the 1970s, plans were made to fully cover the stadium, but they were never realized.
In 1989 the most extensive renovation took place as the stadium was expanded for the Universiade. Next to the new running track, a new grandstand, an electronic scoreboard and a color coding system were all installed.
The capacity of had risen to 30,112 spectators, but even with these measures, the stadium remained a below-average venue that no longer met the standards. In 2003 the stadium was closed and in 2004 the new MSV Arena opened on the same site.
Bökelbergstadion
Home to Borussia Mönchengladbach for more than 80 years, the Bökelbergstadion opened in 1919, and closed in 2004 when Mönchengladbach moved to Borussia-Park. Construction of the stadium was to start earlier, but due to World War I, it was completed in 1919 and opened on the 20th September. It held a capacity of 34,500, and it opened under the name Westdeutsches Stadion, with its nickname known as the gravel pit. It became known as Bökelbergstadion in 1962 when Borussia Mönchengladbach won the German Cup for the very first time. By the 1990s, with facilities limited, Borussia Mönchengladbach looked to build a new stadium and in 2002, construction began on Borussia-Park. The Bökelbergstadion played its final match on the 22nd of May 2004, a Bundesliga match between Borussia Mönchengladbach and TSV 1860 Munich, in a 3-2 win for Mönchengladbach
The stadium was demolished in 2006 as residential buildings were built in 2007. Some of the stadium has been preserved, with the terraces of the north and south curve now integrated into the residential area, and the structure of the stadium is still visible. A memorial of the Bökelbergstadion was unveiled on 2nd December 2019.
Parkstadion
The former home of FC Schalke 04 from 1973-2001. Plans came about in the 1960’s for Schalke to have a larger stadium, and it was in 1967 that the council of Gelsenkirchen gave the go ahead for a stadium to be built, mainly for the purpose of the 1974 World Cup.
The stadium opened on 4 August 1973, with the first ever match taking place in a friendly between Schalke and Feyenoord. It held a capacity of 62,004 with 45,000 of those seated. During the 1974 World Cup, the stadium held five group matches, including the biggest win recorded at a World Cup to date as Yugoslavia defeated Zaire 9-0. The stadium also held two UEFA Euro 1988 matches, as well as the first-leg of the 1997 UEFA Cup Final between Schalke and Inter Milan.
Schalke played their last game here on 19 May 2001 in a Bundesliga fixture against SpVgg Unterhaching, with around 65,000 in attendance before the club moved on to the Arena AufSchalke in July of the same year. The stadium fully closed doors in 2008, and is now partly demolished, though large areas still remain, while the Jumbotron from the northern stand is now installed at Erzgebirgsstadion, the home of FC Erzgebirge Aue.
Old Tivoli
Home to Alemannia Aachen from 1928-2009. The stadium held 21,300 people and started construction in 1925.
At opening, capacity was at 11,000, and it was inaugurated on the 3 June 1928. After World War II, the club played in the Oberliga West and the stadium was deemed too small. They had to wait until 1957 for seats to be added, as well as floodlights for night games. The newly formed stadium’s first game came on the 28 August 1957 in a match against Espanyol.
The club began planning for a new stadium, and building for the New Tivoli began in 2008, opening on the 17 August 2009. The Old Tivoli was demolished in 2011 with the land sold on to build houses, a supermarket and office work space.
Stadion am Bieberer Berg
Home to Kickers Offenbach between 1921 and 2011, before it was replaced by the Sparda-Bank-Hessen-Stadion at the same site. Located in Offenbach am Main, the stadium held 26,500 people.
It was opened on 21 May 1921, with the wooden grandstand that held 1,200 spectators. In 1952 a covered grandstand was completed opposite the grandstand, which was rebuilt in 1960. In 1973 the south-east grandstand was built. In the 1990s the roof on the grandstand was renovated and the stand was expanded.
In 2009 it was announced that the new stadium will be built at the same site. The demolition began in February 2011 and the grandstands were demolished and rebuilt while the game was still going on. The new stadium named Sparda-Bank-Hessen-Stadion opened on the 18 June 2012.
Georg-Melches-Stadion
The Georg-Melches-Stadion was a stadium located in Essen. It was the home of Rot-Weiss Essen between 1939–2012 and had a maximum capacity of 30,000.
The stadium was built in 1923, with three stands and a capacity of 10,000. In 1939 the club completely rebuilt a stadium, allowing the capacity to grow to 27,000. The stadium was heavily damaged during the Second World War and in 1948 the renovation and reconstruction of it was completed.
In the 1950s, the stadium underwent a major renovation that saw the construction of a new grandstand and other facilities. The last renovation came in 1975 and due to the relegation from the Bundesliga in 1977 and financial problems the club was forced to sell the stadium to Essen in 1979.
The municipality invested almost nothing into the stadium and in 1994 due to safety reasons parts of the stadium were closed down and demolished, which reduced the capacity to 15,000. In 2010 it was announced that Rot-Weiss Essen would build a new stadium next to the Georg Melches Stadion.
The last match at the stadium was played on the 19 May 2012, between Rot-Weiss Essen and Fortuna Köln and two days later the Georg Melches Stadion was demolished. Today in its place is the parking lot for Essen Stadium.
