Stadion am Zoo

Wuppertal SV

• UCI Track World Championships 1927
• UCI Track World Championships 1954
• Football games of the Wuppertal SV

The Stadion am Zoo is a sports venue in the North Rhine-Westphalian city of Wuppertal in the zoo area, city district Elberfeld -West. Since 1983 it is a listed building.

History

The initiator of the new stadium site of the city of Elberfeld was responsible Alderman and Civil engineer Friedrich Roth. The stadium was designed completed by the Cologne architect Theo Walnut and Theo Willkens and within half a year. The opening took place under great participation of the population in October 1924. It was at that time one of the largest and most modern stadiums in West Germany at that time was the name " Bergisch stadium" familiar. This was particularly impressive at the Velodrome, which was built between the cinder track and the spectators in the stadium.

The extremely fast concrete runway - you spoke of the fastest racing car in Europe, maybe the world - allowed stayer races that were run with an enormous rate. The Belgian world champion Victor LINART called it "the most beautiful car in Europe ". Several world records were achieved in the pacemaker race on the track, such as on 24 October 1955, the hour record over 96.016 km of Bochum cyclist Walter Lohmann. Stayer races were held there until the 1950s, so the endurance competitions in the UCI Track World Championships in 1927 and the track world championships in 1954. During the 1970s, the velodrome was partially removed to allow for additional spectator seating. Later, athletics events, especially the countries fight the crowds attracted. Police festivals as well as an outside bet the TV show Wetten, dass. attended as well as for number of visitors.

But ultimately it was the football that made known the stadium. Since 1954, the Wuppertal SV call the venue to host his own. 35,000 spectators and more were not uncommon in the former Bundesliga 1. In addition to FC Bayern Munich, FC Schalke 04, VfB Stuttgart and Borussia Moenchengladbach guest appearances also clubs like SpVgg Erkenschwick, Rhenaniastraße Wuerselen, Westfalia Herne and Witten VfL, the same as the WSV played in what was then the highest class, the Oberliga West.

On March 20, 1938 played here the German national football team in front of 20,000 spectators against Luxembourg ( Result 2:1 ).

The official attendance record is 38,000 spectators ( SV Wuppertal eV vs. Bayern Munich 1974). Unofficially, is spoken by a few events with up to 50,000 spectators. So should not have been erected even on the cinder track benches in a cup match between 1.FC Kaiserslautern and the 1st FC Cologne to accommodate spectators.

Officially summarizes the Stadion am Zoo 28,300 spectators. Be permitted for safety reasons a maximum of 25,300. Of these, 5,000 seats roofed and 1500 seats are located on the back straight.

In the early 1990s, the old ( in danger of collapse ) grandstand was replaced by a complex construction ( DM 28 million). Much of the cost devoured this the preservation and restoration of the listed shield wall of the old grandstand. Requirements imposed by the Upper Monument Authority, it is in the stands always quite windy and at the edges of the rain but not necessarily dry. In addition to the shield wall of the Olympic Stadium in Berlin, there is only this. In 1993, a new grandstand was inaugurated.

Political events

Adolf Hitler and Joseph Goebbels spoke before the Reichstag elections in July 1932 on two different rallies in the stadium at the zoo. Up to 50,000 spectators attended the rally, Hitler. Also in Stadion am Zoo of the Communist Party chairman Ernst Thalmann had set out to mobilize the Communist voters. In the course of the election campaign for the parliamentary elections in 1980, Franz Josef Strauss spoke to 26,000 visitors.

Today

Athletic stadium is used almost exclusively by the Wuppertal SV to the home games in the Football Regional. For a friendly match against Bayern Munich, the stadium filled with 25,300 spectators in January 2004 and was thus sold.

The problem was for the main user Wuppertal SV end of January 2008, as one of the FC Bayern Munich again expected, but this time in the DFB Cup second round. Already after the draw on ZDF at the club tens of thousands of ticket requests were received. The conversion was to Round but not finished. Thus, the Wuppertal SV important in the Veltins- Arena in Gelsenkirchen, which has about 61,500 seats, and thus significantly more than the Stadion am Zoo ( in the former phase: 16,500 seats).

The planned modernization

The velodrome and the standing ranks were demolished and in its place behind the entrance gates ( on the old cinder track ) seat stands are created for around 4800 each standing. Originally a capacity of 6700 spectators was named for the stands; but this number apparently referring to the inclusion of corner joints between Located behind and a new main stand to be realized but only in later stages. The estimated cost of reconstruction began in 2006 to pure football stadium amount to one million euros.

Plans for the first phase were given on 17 October 2005 announced by the City Council, the Sports and Pool Office and the Board of the Wuppertal SV. In November 2005, the City Council and the monument authorities gave their approval to the project. There a lot of earth masses were dumped into the area behind the gates and the ranks. At the same time the playing field was widened from four to 72 meters, so as to bring the existing grandstand closer to the pitch. The measure should be completed by final day of the 2006/2007 season ( against Kickers Emden ( 2:4 ) ), but the construction was stopped due to financial complications of the city administration. The construction was resumed in August 2007. Since the reason for the financial problems was to increase the price of the concrete parts for the Tribune, the concrete parts of unemployed Wuppertalern be cast under expert supervision. Moulding of concrete elements is also a part of the training of the unemployed. The first grandstand was completed in mid-February 2008 and at the home game of the Wuppertal SV against Rot Weiss Ahlen ( 0:4 ( 0:1) ) was inaugurated. Guests grandstand was opened in mid-June 2008 friendly against Bundesliga 1 FC Cologne ( 1-1 (1-1 ) ).

These complications in the reconstruction of the stadium at the zoo did not occur for the first time. The modernization of the grandstand from 1991 to 1993 was accompanied by similar financial problems.

The buildings should be designed so that both a canopy and an extension and conversion into seats is possible. In another construction phase (see above) is planned to be achieved through the establishment of a similar grandstand for the backstretch a " closing the gap " and thus complete the transformation into a pure football stadium.

The installation of the new bleachers in the previous interior of the stadium - modeled after the Central Stadium Leipzig - the outside view of the stadium will remain largely intact at the zoo.

In the historic stadium restaurant, which has also been renovated, there is a sports shop and the Sports and Pool Office Wuppertal. The former residents here Wuppertal fan project has now moved to new premises in Tiergartenstrasse.