Ernst-Happel-Stadion

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Ernst Happel Stadion
Ernst-Happel-Stadion

UEFA 4/4 stars

Former namesPraterstadion (1931–1992)
LocationMeiereistraße 7, Vienna, Austria
Coordinates48°12′25.8″N 16°25′13.9″E / 48.207167°N 16.420528°E / 48.207167; 16.420528Coordinates: 48°12′25.8″N 16°25′13.9″E / 48.207167°N 16.420528°E / 48.207167; 16.420528
OwnerCity of Vienna
OperatorWiener Stadthalle Betriebs- und Veranstaltungsgesellschaft m.b.H.
TypeUEFA Category 4 Stadium
Capacity50,865[1] (end-stage)
68,500 (center-stage)
Record attendance90,726 (Austria-Spain, 30 October 1960)
Field size105 m × 68 m (344 ft × 223 ft)
Construction
Broke ground1929
Built1929–1931
Opened11 July 1931
Renovated1986
ArchitectOtto Ernst Schweizer
Tenants
Austria national football team

The Ernst-Happel-Stadion (About this soundErnst-Happel-Stadion ), known as Praterstadion until 1992, sometimes also called Wiener-Stadion, is a football stadium in Leopoldstadt, the 2nd district of Austria's capital Vienna. With 50,865 seats, it is the largest stadium in Austria. It was built between 1929 and 1931 for the second Workers' Olympiad to the design of German architect Otto Ernst Schweizer. The stadium was renamed in honour of Austrian footballer Ernst Happel following his death in 1992. The stadium hosted seven games in UEFA Euro 2008, including the final which saw Spain triumph over Germany.

The stadium is owned by the City of Vienna (Municipal Department 51 – Sports of the City of Vienna). It is managed by the Wiener Stadthalle Betriebs und Veranstaltungsgesellschaft m.b.H., a subsidiary of Wien Holding. It is a UEFA Category 4 stadium, and as such, it is the home of the Austrian national team. It also hosts the Viennese clubs' games in Europa League.

The stadium is served by Stadion station on the U2 metro line.

History[]

1928–1945[]

The foundation stone was laid in November 1928 in honor of the 10-year celebration of the Republic of Austria. The stadium was constructed in 23 months, from 1929 to 1931. It was built according to a design by the Tübingen architect Otto Ernst Schweizer and the second Workers' Olympiad. Schweizer also designed the adjacent Stadionbad (with 400,000 sq m, Europe's largest swimming pool). According to its location in Vienna's Prater, it was initially named Prater Stadium. It was a modern stadium at the time, particularly in Europe, because of its short discharge time of only 7 to 8 minutes. Initially the stadium had a capacity of approximately 60,000 people.

During the National Socialist Era following Anschluss, (1938–1945) the stadium was used as a military barracks and staging area and as a temporary prison for the deportation of Jewish citizens.[2] Between September 11 and 13, 1939, after the attack on Poland, over a thousand Polish-born Viennese Jews were detained on the orders Reinhard Heydrich. They were imprisoned beneath the grandstands in the corridors of Section B. On September 30, 1,038 prisoners were deported to the Buchenwald concentration camp. The next day, the stadium was back to being used for a football match. 44 men were released in early 1940, 26 were freed in 1945, the rest were murdered in the camps. In 1988, one of the surviving victims, Fritz Klein, was awarded a compensation by the Austrian government equivalent to 62,50 euros for being detained in the stadium. In 2003 a memorial plaque, commemorating these events, was unveiled in the VIP area by a private initiative. In 1944, the stadium was severely damaged during a bomb attack on the Wehrmarcht Staff offices.

1945–2000[]

After the war and the reconstruction of the stadium, it was again sporting its original use. In 1956, the stadium's capacity was expanded to 92,708 people by Theodor Schull, but in 1965 the capacity was reduced. The attendance record was 90,726[3] spectators set on October 30, 1960 at the football match between Spain and Austria (0–3).

In the mid-1980s, the stands were covered and fully equipped with seats. At its reopening a friendly match against archrivals Germany was organised. Austria won the match 4–1. After the death of former Austrian top player and coach Ernst Happel, the Prater Stadium was renamed after him in 1992. In 1964, 1987, 1990, and 1995, the Ernst Happel Stadium was the venue of the European Cup/UEFA Champions League final.

In 1970, the stadium was the venue of the 1970 European Cup Winners' Cup Final which saw Manchester City F.C. beat Górnik Zabrze 2-1. Neil Young and a Francis Lee penalty sealed the win for City. This final was played under torrential rain in what was then an uncovered stadium. This along with the fact no Polish supporters were allowed to travel to the match restricted the attendance, which is variously reported at between 7,900 and 15,000 spectators. Even so, City's travelling support numbered over 4,000 which was a then record for an English club playing on the continent.

UEFA Euro 2008[]

During the UEFA Euro 2008 tournament, the Ernst Happel-Stadion hosted seven games (three group matches of the Austria, two quarter finals, a semifinal match, and the Final match). In preparation for the tournament, the first and second place additional rows of seats increased the stadium's capacity to 53,000 seats.

Leading up to the tournament, it was fitted with a heated pitch in the summer of 2005. In May 2008, a connection to the Vienna U-Bahn was established, easing access from all over the city. The cost of the rebuilding was 39,600,000.

Stadium opening match in the Euro 2008 between Austria and Croatia

The following games were played at the stadium during the UEFA Euro 2008:

Date Time (CET) Team #1 Result Team #2 Round Spectators
8 June 2008 18.00  Austria 0–1  Croatia Group B 51,428
12 June 2008 20.45 1–1  Poland 51,428
16 June 2008 20.45 0–1  Germany 51,428
20 June 2008 20.45  Croatia 1–1 aet
(1–3 pen.)
 Turkey Quarter-finals 51,428
22 June 2008 20.45  Spain 0–0 aet
(4–2 pen.)
 Italy 48,000
26 June 2008 20.45  Russia 0–3  Spain Semi-final 51,428
29 June 2008 20.45  Germany 0–1  Spain Final 51,428

Football[]

The Ernst Happel Stadium is the largest football stadium in Austria. It is the home of the Austrian national football team. Club football matches are generally limited to the domestic cup final and international competitions featuring one of Vienna's top clubs, FK Austria Wien and SK Rapid Wien, as their regular stadiums are too small to host UEFA Champions League and UEFA Cup matches. Vienna derby matches between FK Austria and SK Rapid have also been played in the stadium.

The stadium is rated one of UEFA's Five Star Stadiums permitting it to host the UEFA Champions League final. The seating capacity was temporarily expanded to 53,008[4] for the UEFA Euro 2008 championship, with the final played in the stadium. The stadium also hosted 3 group games, 2 quarter-final matches, a semi-final and final. The attendance record of 92,706 for the match against the Soviet Union was in 1960.[5] The capacity has since been reduced.

Notable matches held in the stadium[]

Other sports[]

Other sporting events are held in the stadium, including athletics, cycling and tennis. In 1950, 35,000[6] watched Austrian Josef Weidinger win the European Heavyweight crown against Stefan Olek (of France), and a temporary pool in the stadium was the venue for the 1995 European LC Championships.

On July 16, 2011, the American Football World Championship final took place where USA defeated rivals Canada with a score of 50–7 in front of 20,000 spectators.

On June 6 and 7, 2014, the three game of the final stage of the 13th European Championship of American Football took place in this stadium.

Concerts[]

Concerts at Ernst Happel Stadium
Date Artist Tour Attendance
16 June 1987 Genesis Invisible Touch Tour
June 2, 1988 Michael Jackson Bad World Tour 55.000
1 July 1988 Pink Floyd A Momentary Lapse of Reason Tour
14 June 1990 Tina Turner Foreign Affair: The Farewell Tour
31 July 1990 The Rolling Stones Urban Jungle Tour
May 23, 1992 Guns N' Roses Use Your Illusion Tour
July 3, 1992 Dire Straits On Every Street Tour
August 26, 1992 Michael Jackson Dangerous World Tour 50.000
June 2, 1993 Guns N' Roses Use Your Illusion Tour
4, 10 July 1996 Tina Turner Wildest Dreams Tour
July 2, 1997 Michael Jackson HIStory World Tour 50.000
1 August 2000 Tina Turner Twenty Four Seven Tour
June 29, 2001 Bon Jovi One Wild Night Tour
May 28, 2003 Bon Jovi Bounce Tour
June 28, 2003 Bruce Springsteen The Rising Tour
4 July 2003 Robbie Williams 2003 Tour
July 2, 2005 U2 Vertigo Tour 55,645
14 July 2006 The Rolling Stones A Bigger Bang
18, 19 August 2006 Robbie Williams Close Encounters Tour
24 May 2009 AC/DC Black Ice World Tour
July 5, 2009 Bruce Springsteen Working on a Dream Tour 37,798
30 August 2010 U2 U2 360° Tour 69,253
July 22, 2011 Bon Jovi Bon Jovi Live 56,280
July 12, 2012 Bruce Springsteen Wrecking Ball World Tour 50,293
July 29, 2012 Madonna The MDNA Tour 33,250
27 June 2013 Paul McCartney
23 August 2013 Roger Waters The Wall Live 36,385
10 June 2015 One Direction On the Road Again Tour 43,788
30 June, 1 July 2015 Helene Fischer Farbenspiel Live 90,000
19 May 2016 AC/DC Rock or Bust World Tour 50,364
11 June 2017 Coldplay A Head Full of Dreams Tour 56,246 [7]
July 10, 2017 Guns N' Roses Not in This Lifetime... Tour 54,847
July 11, 2018 Helene Fischer Helene Fischer Live 2017/2018
26 August 2017 Robbie Williams The Heavy Entertainment Show Tour
7, 8 August 2018 Ed Sheeran ÷ Tour 110,000
2 June 2019 Phil Collins Still Not Dead Yet Live Tour
17 July 2019 Bon Jovi This House Is Not For Sale Tour
24 July 2019 P!nk Beautiful Trauma World Tour 55,873 [8]
16 August 2019 Metallica WorldWired Tour 54,176[9]
22, 23 August 2019 Rammstein Europe Stadium Tour 2019

References[]

  1. ^ https://www.uefa.com/MultimediaFiles/Download/FirstDiv/uefaorg/Publications/01/67/03/93/1670393_DOWNLOAD.pdf
  2. ^ "Happel Stadium hides a sinister past". Archived from the original on 2008-06-29.
  3. ^ "Austria - Spain, Friendly match, 30 October 1960".
  4. ^ "Vienna City Government website". Archived from the original on 2008-06-16. Retrieved 2007-06-29.
  5. ^ "Vienna City Government website". Archived from the original on 2007-09-29. Retrieved 2007-06-29.
  6. ^ "Vienna City Government website". Archived from the original on 2007-09-29. Retrieved 2007-06-29.
  7. ^ "Billboard Boxscore :: Current Scores". Billboard. Archived from the original on July 25, 2017. Retrieved July 26, 2017.
  8. ^ "57,000 visitors celebrate Pink in Vienna at "DiePresse.com". vaaju. Retrieved July 25, 2019.
  9. ^ "Khalid Flies to New Heights With $30 Million On Free Spirit World Tour". Billboard. September 20, 2019. Retrieved September 20, 2019.
Events and tenants
Preceded by
Wembley Stadium
London
European Cup
Final venue

1964
Succeeded by
San Siro
Milan
Preceded by
St. Jakob Stadium
Basel
European Cup Winners' Cup
Final venue

1970
Succeeded by
Karaiskakis Stadium
Athens
Preceded by
Estadio Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán
Seville
European Cup
Final venue

1987
Succeeded by
Neckarstadion
Stuttgart
Preceded by
Camp Nou
Barcelona
European Cup
Final venue

1990
Succeeded by
Stadio San Nicola
Bari
Preceded by
Olympic Stadium
Athens
UEFA Champions League
Final venue

1995
Succeeded by
Stadio Olimpico
Rome
Preceded by
Estádio da Luz
Lisbon
UEFA European Championship
Final venue

2008
Succeeded by
NSC Olimpiyskiy
Kiev
Preceded by
Todoroki Athletics Stadium
Kawasaki
IFAF World Championship
Final venue

2011
Succeeded by
Tele2 Arena
Stockholm
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