Grugastadion

Not indigenous to club

• German Gymnastics Festival 1963
• Finale of the game without boundaries 1971

The Grugastadion in Rüttenscheid was from 1963 until its demolition in 2001 one of the largest sports stadiums of the city of Essen. It was part of an existing stadium, Gymnastics Festival Hall and Festwiese sports complex, which together played functionally with the also built in the years 1961-1963 Grugabad.

History

Already during the Third Reich there were plans to build near the Gruga and Messe Essen a sports stadium, which would become one of the largest stadiums in Germany. Was a provision for old brickworks and the associated clay pit in the area Moritzstraße / dressing street in Essen- Ruettenscheid. The area, also known as Monday hole was used after the Second World War as a major dump. The history of the Third Reich meant that the stadium does not make it past the shell.

The Grugastadion begun in 1961 was suitable for athletics events and football games. With a north-western grandstand was opened on September 13, 1963 and offered a total of 40,000 seats. For the German Gymnastics Festival 1963, a new sports facility was built to, among a large, of earthen walls surrounded with spectator stands, fairground to the north-east of the stadium, a multi-purpose sports hall ( Gymnastics Festival Hall ) and east of the stadium. The entire area occupied an area of ​​12.4 hectares.

In September 1971 took place in Grugastadion the international final of the former television game show game without boundaries instead.

The fate of the entire system was that a need for a third major stadium in Essen basically did not exist, since the two most powerful football clubs Schwarz-Weiß Essen Rot-Weiss Essen and preferring their traditional venues. Only 1974-1978 the Grugastadion of Schwarz-Weiß Essen was used for games of the Second Bundesliga Nord, as the city food not offset the Uhlenkrug stadium only recently acquired by the club in the second division a suitable condition. In addition, the stadium was used in the late 1990s during the renovation of the George Melches stadium by then- Oberliga side Rot-Weiss Essen as temporary quarters. The only club who felt the stadium as a home stadium, so from 1991 until the demolition of the Football Association of Assindia Cardinals. To this end, the stadium for sports festivals of schools was used, which was not enough together to get it. The fiscal situation of the city of Essen had led to renovation debris, also the area of ​​the Turnfest system was come to the forefront of the expanding Messe Essen, the required additional parking.

After the festival grounds, the (two ash and one grass) had been converted after the turn hard in three adjacent soccer fields, and two of the places had been made in the 1980s paved parking for the fair, the Grugastadion 2001 and the Gymnastics Festival Hall 2002 demolished. In October 2007, took place on the grounds of the stadium Gruga the groundbreaking for the new building opened in October 2010, E.ON Ruhrgas headquarters. On the territory of the other two sports facilities an administrative building of Hochtief and new housing development was built.

Pictures

Stands during the demolition

Turnfest monument