Olympisch Stadion (Amsterdam)
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| Olympisch Stadion | |
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| Location | Amsterdam, Netherlands |
| Broke ground | May 18, 1927 |
| Opened | July 28, 1928 |
| Renovated | 1996–2000 |
| Owner | Gemeente Amsterdam |
| Surface | Grass |
| Architect | Jan Wils |
| Tenants | AFC Ajax (until 1996) |
| Capacity | 31,600 |
The Olympisch Stadion was built as the main stadium for the 1928 Summer Olympics in Amsterdam. When completed, the stadium had a capacity of 31,600. Following the completion of the rival De Kuip stadium in Rotterdam in 1937, the Amsterdam authorities decided to increase the capacity of the Olympisch Stadion to 64,000 by adding a second ring to the stadium. AFC Ajax has used the Olympisch Stadion for international games until 1996, when the Amsterdam ArenA was completed. The stadium still has a resident club though: Hoofdklasse club Blauw-Wit Amsterdam.
Since 2005, the stadium is home to a sports museum, the Olympic Experience Amsterdam.
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[edit] Architecture and design
The Olympisch Stadion was designed by architect Jan Wils, and is one of the finest examples of Amsterdamse School architecture, complementing the surrounding neighbourhood designed by H.P. Berlage. The design won the Olympic gold medal in the architecture competition at the 1928 Olympics. The concrete second ring that was added in 1937 to the north and south wing of the stadium was also designed by Jan Wils.
[edit] Development history
The original plan of Jan Wils consisted of an extension of the Harry Elte stadium that was situated next to the current Olympisch Stadion. This plan was rejected as the municipal government of Amsterdam had planned an important urban development programme in that area, and wanted to demolish the stadium as soon as possible. The second plan was almost fully executed, and consisted of a new Olympisch Stadion that was situated more westward. In January 1926, the Amsterdam municipal government, the National Olympic Committee and the NV Nederlandsch Sportpark—the owner of the Harry Elte stadium—reached an agreement; after the Olympic Games of 1928, the Harry Elte stadium would be demolished and the NV Nederlandsch Sportpark would be the owner of the Olympisch Stadion. Starting in January 1926, the area in which the stadium was to be built was elevated by means of 750,000 cubic metres of sand. This phase was completed in October of that year and in the same month the construction of the pile foundation began. On May 18, 1927, the ceremonial first stone was placed by Prince Hendrik. Some two million stones would follow.[1]
[edit] Characteristics
The football pitch measures 114 by 75 metres. The athletics track around it is 8 metres wide and has a perimeter of 400 metres. The cycle track around the athletics track was 9 metres wide had a perimeter of 500 metres.[1]
The capacity of the stadium is subject to controversy as the exact capacity was kept secret to press and public during the Games to evade the remark that the stadium's capacity was only marginally bigger than the Harry Elte stadium. It is said that two configurations could be set up in the stadium; one with 21,537 seats and 12,618 standing rooms (33,255 total) and one with 16,197 seats and 25,236 standing rooms (41,433 total).[1][2] After the Games the NOC admitted that the capacity of the stadium was somewhere near 31,600. Emergency seats could be added on the cycle track, which would increase the capacity with 5,900.[1]
The 1928 Olympics introduced the idea of the Olympic Flame. The flame burned for the first time ever in a tall tower, known as the Marathon tower, adjacent to the Olympisch Stadion. In the top of the Marathon tower, four balconies are situated which were used during the Games by horn blowers. Above these balconies four speakers from Philips were attached, from which results and messages were broadcasted unto the Olympic area, a novelty in that time. The bowl on top which carried the Olympic flame was known to Amsterdammers as "the ashtray of KLM pilots".[1]
[edit] Renovation after being saved from demolition
In 1987 the city government announced plans to demolish the stadium. However, the stadium was saved when it was listed as a national monument. Renovation started in 1996, and the stadium was refurbished into the original construction of 1928. The second ring of 1937 was removed, and the stadium was made suitable for track and field competitions again. The original bicycle track was also removed to enable the use of the space beneath the seats for offices. The stadium was reopened by Prince Willem Alexander on May 13, 2000.[3]
In 2007, the area around the stadium was renovated as part of larger urban renewal project covering the entire Olympic area. North of the stadium 969 houses will be built that are due for completion in 2008. The island in the river Schinkel to the west of the stadium will be suited with tennis fields and football pitches, an athletics track and a park, and are also due for completion in 2008. The Stadionplein square in front of the stadium is also to be renovated, which is expected to begin in late 2009.[4]
Two new bridges will be built around the stadium: to the south there will be a bridge suitable for all traffic, called Na Druk Gelukbrug, and to the Schinkel islands in the west there will be a cyclists and pedestrian bridge, called Jan Wilsbrug. Both are due for completion in 2008.
[edit] Use after the Olympic Games
The stadium hosted several international matches of the Dutch national football team, the first one being the game against Uruguay (0-2) during the Summer Olympics on May 30, 1928. The last one was a friendly on September 6, 1989 against Denmark (0-2).
After the Olympics, the stadium was used regularly for various sporting events, including athletics, speedway, field hockey and cycling. The 1954 Tour de France, for example, started outside the stadium. However, it was football that remained the most popular. It was both the home ground of Blauw Wit FC and BVC Amsterdam (later merged into FC Amsterdam), while AFC Ajax used the stadium for games in which the crowd was expected to exceed the capacity of its own De Meer Stadion, or for midweek games which required the use of floodlights, with which the De Meer was not initially suited. Ajax continued this arrangement until the completion of the Amsterdam ArenA in 1996. The British School of Amsterdam als use it for their annual Sports Day.
The stadium is also a major tourist attraction in the Netherlands. Many tourists from over the world, especially other parts of the Netherlands, Germany, Greece, Belgium, and Canada come to this attraction in great numbers weekly. There are organized tours available in Dutch, German, Greek, Flemish, English, and French - the predominant languages in the main tourist countries (listed above).
[edit] Famous games†
Famous games include the legendary 1962 European Cup final between Benfica and Real Madrid, ending in a 5–3 Benfica victory, Ajax's 5–1 victory over Liverpool on December 7, 1966 signalling the birth of Ajax as a European power and Ajax's 8–2 victory over Feyenoord in 1982.
† These games to not include famous games from the Olympics themselves.
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d e Olf Kiers (1978) Jan Wils, Olympisch Stadion. Amsterdam: Van Gennep, Stichting Architectuur Museum. ISBN 90-6012-399-9
- ^ Paul Arnoldussen mentions in his Amsterdam 1928: het verhaal van de IXe Olympiade (ISBN 9060054687) a capacity of 21,809 seats and 13,216 standing rooms (35,025 total)
- ^ Johanneke Helmers (2006-12-07). Het Olympisch Stadion (Dutch). Amsterdam.nl. Retrieved on 2007-10-29.
- ^ Het Olympisch Gebied (Dutch). Oudzuid.amsterdam.nl. Retrieved on 2007-10-29.
[edit] External links
| Preceded by Wankdorf Stadium Bern |
European Cup Final Venue 1962 |
Succeeded by Wembley Stadium London |
| Preceded by Heysel Stadium Brussels |
UEFA Cup Winners Cup Final Venue 1977 |
Succeeded by Parc des Princes Paris |
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