Estádio Cidade de Coimbra

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Estádio Cidade de Coimbra
Estádio do Calhabé
Estádio Cidade de Coimbra
Location	Coimbra, Portugal
Opened
Renovated	2001-2003
Expanded	2001-2003
Owner	Coimbra City Hall
Operator	Associação Académica de Coimbra - O.A.F.
Surface	Grass
Former names
Estádio Municipal de Coimbra
Tenants
Associação Académica de Coimbra - O.A.F.
Capacity
30,210
Dimensions
105mx70m

The Estádio Cidade de Coimbra (City of Coimbra Stadium) is a stadium in Coimbra, Portugal. This stadium belongs to the Coimbra's municipality and is mainly used by the Académica de Coimbra O.A.F.'s football team. Until 2003 it used to be called Estádio Municipal de Coimbra (Coimbra's Municipality Stadium) or Estádio do Calhabé (Stadium of Calhabé), after the name of its location in Coimbra. It had a capacity of 15,000 seats, all seated, but just one small covered area. Then it was rebuilt, expanded and modernized to host some Euro 2004 matches. Far beyond the sports stadium itself, all the project, called Euro Stadium Project, included the possibility of organizing Sports, Culture and Commercial Events, by the modernization of the entire Calhabé area in Coimbra.

The Estádio Cidade de Coimbra was inaugurated with a Rolling Stones concert on 27 September 2003, attended by over 50,000 people. On 29 October 2003, Associação Académica de Coimbra - O.A.F. played at home to S.L. Benfica, in the first official match in the remodelled stadium.

[edit] Features

Its design does not involve any historical or traditional references, as the idea was to create a new, contemporary image with glass façades and an aesthetic roof supported by elegant stands. The existing athletics track has been preserved for possible use as a multi-purpose facility in the future. The Stadium was designed by the Portuguese architectural firm Plarq and led by the architect António Monteiro.

The stadium has 30,210 seats, two-thirds of which are covered. The complex boasts a large press centre, a bar, kitchens and a restaurant with a panoramic view of the pitch. The project of the stadium took advantage of old seats: of close to 15,000 (all seated), involved the planned remodelling of the tier which extends around the entire perimeter of the previous stands, and a second tier above that, in the form of a "U", opening onto the slopes of the city at the North end.

A multi-purpose pavilion, olympic swimming pools, healthclub, gym, offices and studio apartment residences were built in the surrounding area. The Dolce Vita, a shopping and leisure center built near the stadium includes : cinemas, underground car park, restaurants, several retail outlets and shops.

[edit] Profile

Name: Estádio Cidade de Coimbra
Club: Associação Académica de Coimbra - O.A.F.
Inauguration: 27 September 2003 (Rolling Stones concert)
First match: Académica-Benfica 1-3 (29 October 2003)
Capacity: 30,000 seats
Pitch dimensions: 105mx70m
Address: Rua D. Manuel I, 3030-320 Coimbra

The shopping center is a unique component of the overall project. Dolce Vita Coimbra is the first shopping mall actually built in a stadium building. It is the first of several projects built that combine shopping, entertainment, residential, and sporting venues. Dolce Vita Coimbra has condominiums rising above the shopping center. The second of this series of projects is Dolce Vita Porto. Both projects are award winning designs by the American Architectural firm, Suttle Mindlin.