Silesian Stadium
| Silesian Stadium Stadion Śląski | |
|---|---|
| Kocioł czarownic | |
 | |
| Full name |
Silesian Stadium Stadion Śląski |
| Location | Chorzów, Silesia, Poland |
| Built | 1951–1956 |
| Opened | 22 July 1956 |
| Expanded | 2009–2013 |
| Owner | Silesian Voivodeship |
| Construction cost |
no data 465 mln PLN (expansion only) |
| Capacity |
54,477[1] (in the past 120,000) |
| Record attendance | 120 000 (Górnik Zabrze-FK Austria Wien, 18 September 1963) |
| Field dimensions | 105 x 68 m |
| Tenants | |
|
Poland national team (to 1993 as de facto, 1993-2012 as official) Silesian national team¹ and: Górnik Zabrze¹ GKS Katowice¹ Ruch Chorzów¹ Polonia Bytom¹ GKS Tychy¹ other club from Upper-Silesian Metropolis¹ ¹ - only important matches | |
Silesian Stadium (Polish: Stadion Śląski) is a sport stadium located between Chorzów and Katowice, Silesia, Poland. It opened on 22 July 1956 and has since hosted crowds of over 120,000 for both football matches and motorcycle speedway world championships. It also hosts music festivals.
History
In 1949 the decision was made to build the Silesia Stadium in 1950 and Julian Brzuchowski was chosen as its designer. Silesia Stadium was completed in 1956, together with the 10th Anniversary Stadium (Polish: Stadion Dziesięciolecia) in Warsaw. On 22 July 1956, it hosted its first event - a friendly game with the East Germany national football team (2:0 for the Germans). Electric lighting was installed in 1959.
In 1993, the stadium was designated as the official home stadium of the Polish national football team. In the 1990s, the stadium was converted to an all-seater stadium, reducing the capacity to 47,246. Currently, there are plans to expand its capacity to 55,211 and to construct a roof over the stadium (claimed to become one of the largest in the world, 43,000 m2).[2] The stadium will be expanded by tearing off a portion of the west stand to make room for the 2nd tier. Before the expansion, only the east stand had a 2nd tier.
Events
Football
Poland national football team
| No. | Date | Match | Result | Turnout |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 22 July 1956 | Poland – GDR | 0–2 | 90 000 |
| 2 | 20 October 1957 | Poland – USSR | 2–1 | 100 000 |
| 3 | 11 May 1958 | Poland – Ireland | 2–2 | 80 000 |
| 4 | 14 September 1958 | Poland – Hungary | 1–3 | 90 000 |
| 5 | 28 June 1959 | Poland – Spain | 2–4 | 100 000 |
| 6 | 8 November 1959 | Poland – Finland | 6–2 | 22 000 |
| 7 | 26 June 1960 | Poland – Bulgaria | 4–0 | 25 000 |
| 8 | 25 June 1961 | Poland – Yugoslavia | 1–1 | 100 000 |
| 9 | 5 November 1961 | Poland – Denmark | 5–0 | 10 000 |
| 10 | 10 October 1962 | Poland – Northern Ireland | 0–2 | 50 000 |
| 11 | 2 June 1963 | Poland – Romania | 1–1 | 40 000 |
| 12 | 23 May 1965 | Poland – Scotland | 1–1 | 80 000 |
| 13 | 3 May 1966 | Poland – Hungary | 1–1 | 95 000 |
| 14 | 5 July 1966 | Poland – England | 0–1 | 70 000 |
| 15 | 21 May 1967 | Poland – Belgium | 3–1 | 65 000 |
| 16 | 24 April 1968 | Poland – Turkey | 8–0 | 35 000 |
| 17 | 30 October 1968 | Poland – Ireland | 1–0 | 18 000 |
| 18 | 7 September 1969 | Poland – Netherlands | 2–1 | 85 000 |
| 19 | 14 October 1970 | Poland – Albania | 3–0 | 10 000 |
| 20 | 6 June 1973 | Poland – England | 2–0 | 90 000 |
| 21 | 26 September 1973 | Poland – Wales | 3–0 | 90 000 |
| 22 | 10 September 1975 | Poland – Netherlands | 4–1 | 85 000 |
| 23 | 24 March 1976 | Poland – Argentina | 1–2 | 60 000 |
| 24 | 21 September 1977 | Poland – Denmark | 4–1 | 80 000 |
| 25 | 29 September 1977 | Poland – Portugal | 1–1 | 80 000 |
| 26 | 4 April 1979 | Poland – Hungary | 1–1 | 60 000 |
| 27 | 2 May 1979 | Poland – Netherlands | 2–0 | 85 000 |
| 28 | 26 September 1979 | Poland – GDR | 1–1 | 70 000 |
| 29 | 6 June 1980 | Poland – Czechoslovakia | 1–1 | 45 000 |
| 30 | 2 May 1981 | Poland – GDR | 1–0 | 80 000 |
| 31 | 2 September 1981 | Poland – Germany | 0–2 | 70 000 |
| 32 | 22 May 1983 | Poland – USSR | 1–1 | 75 000 |
| 33 | 11 September 1985 | Poland – Belgium | 0–0 | 75 000 |
| 34 | 16 November 1985 | Poland – Italy | 1–0 | 20 000 |
| 35 | 19 October 1988 | Poland – Albania | 1–0 | 35 000 |
| 36 | 11 October 1989 | Poland – England | 0–0 | 35 000 |
| 37 | 25 October 1989 | Poland – Sweden | 0–2 | 15 000 |
| 38 | 29 May 1993 | Poland – England | 1–1 | 65 000 |
| 39 | 2 April 1997 | Poland – Italy | 0–0 | 32 000 |
| 40 | 31 May 1997 | Poland – England | 0–2 | 30 000 |
| 41 | 27 May 1998 | Poland – Russia | 3–1 | 8 000 |
| 42 | 31 March 1999 | Poland – Sweden | 0–1 | 28 000 |
| 43 | 1 September 2001 | Poland – Norway | 3–0 | 43 000 |
| 44 | 6 October 2001 | Poland – Ukraine | 1–1 | 25 000 |
| 45 | 29 March 2003 | Poland – Hungary | 0–0 | 47 000 |
| 46 | 10 September 2003 | Poland – Sweden | 0–2 | 20 000 |
| 47 | 8 September 2004 | Poland – England | 1–2 | 45 000 |
| 48 | 3 September 2005 | Poland – Austria | 3–2 | 45 000 |
| 49 | 31 May 2006 | Poland – Colombia | 1–2 | 40 000 |
| 50 | 11 October 2006 | Poland – Portugal | 2–1 | 45 000 |
| 51 | 17 November 2007 | Poland – Belgium | 2–0 | 47 000 |
| 52 | 1 June 2008 | Poland – Denmark | 1–1 | 35 000 |
| 53 | 11 October 2008 | Poland – Czech Republic | 2–1 | 47 000 |
| 54 | 5 September 2009 | Poland – Northern Ireland | 1–1 | 45 000 |
| 55 | 14 October 2009 | Poland – Slovakia | 0–1 | 4 000[3] |
Cup games
| No. | Cup | Date | Match | Result | Turnout |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | UEFA CL | 13 September 1961 | Górnik Zabrze – Tottenham Hotspur | 4–2 | 80 000 |
| 2 | UEFA CL | 12 September 1962 | Polonia Bytom – Panathinaikos Athens | 2–1 | 30 000 |
| 3 | UEFA CL | 18 November 1962 | Polonia Bytom – Galatasaray S.K. Istanbul | 1–0 | 10 000 |
| 4 | UEFA CL | 18 September 1963 | Górnik Zabrze – FK Austria Wien | 1–0 | 120 000 |
| 5 | UEFA CL | 13 November 1963 | Górnik Zabrze – Dukla Prague | 2–0 | 100 000 |
| 6 | UEFA CL | 20 September 1964 | Górnik Zabrze – Dukla Prague | 3–0 | 80 000 |
| 7 | UEFA CL | 22 September 1965 | Górnik Zabrze – LASK Linz | 2–1 | 60 000 |
| 8 | UEFA CL | 28 November 1965 | Górnik Zabrze – AC Sparta Prague | 1–2 | 35 000 |
| 9 | UEFA CL | 20 September 1967 | Górnik Zabrze – Djurgårdens IF | 3–0 | 45 000 |
| 10 | UEFA CL | 9 November 1967 | Górnik Zabrze – FC Dynamo Kyiv | 1–1 | 100 000 |
| 11 | UEFA CL | 13 March 1968 | Górnik Zabrze – Manchester United | 1–0 | 90 000 |
| 12 | UEFA CWC | 1 October 1969 | Górnik Zabrze – Olympiacos Piraeus | 5–0 | 30 000 |
| 13 | UEFA CWC | 12 November 1969 | Górnik Zabrze – Rangers | 3–1 | 80 000 |
| 14 | UEFA CWC | 18 March 1970 | Górnik Zabrze – PFC Levski Sofia | 2–1 | 100 000 |
| 15 | UEFA CWC | 15 April 1970 | Górnik Zabrze – AS Roma | 2–2 | 100 000 |
| 16 | ICFC | 16 September 1970 | GKS Katowice – FC Barcelona | 0–1 | 85 000 |
| 17 | ICFC | 16 September 1970 | Ruch Chorzów – ACF Fiorentina | 1–1 | 85 000 |
| 18 | UEFA CWC | 9 November 1971 | Górnik Zabrze – Manchester City | 2–0 | 90 000 |
| 19 | UEFA CL | 29 September 1971 | Górnik Zabrze – Olympique de Marseille | 1–1 | 70 000 |
| 20 | UEFA CL | 8 November 1972 | Górnik Zabrze – FC Dynamo Kyiv | 2–1 | 70 000 |
| 21 | UEFA CL | 18 September 1985 | Górnik Zabrze – FC Bayern Munich | 1–2 | 60 000 |
| 22 | UEFA CWC | 2 October 1986 | GKS Katowice – Fram Reykjavik | 1–0 | 20 000 |
| 23 | UEFA CWC | 22 October 1986 | GKS Katowice – FC Sion | 2–2 | 10 000 |
| 24 | UEFA Cup | 5 October 1988 | GKS Katowice – Rangers | 2–4 | 30 000 |
| 25 | UEFA CL | 26 October 1988 | Górnik Zabrze – Real Madrid | 0–1 | 55 000 |
| 26 | UEFA CL | 13 September 1989 | Ruch Chorzów – Sredec Sofia | 1–1 | 15 000 |
| 27 | UEFA Cup | 14 September 2000 | Ruch Chorzów – F.C. Internazionale Milano | 0–3 | 20 000 |
Other matches
- 22 July 1974 Silesia vs Tanzania was played at the Silesia Stadium. Silesia won 7–2.
- from the 1950s to now - derby of Upper Silesia (more precisely the derby of Upper-Silesian Metropolis) was played at the stadium.
Speedway
The football pitch at the Silesia Stadium is surrounded by a speedway track. The first World Final held at the stadium in 1973, was run in front of the largest crowd in world speedway history, when a reported 130,000 fans saw rank outsider Jerzy Szczakiel of Poland win his only (and Poland's first) World Championship, after defeating defending champion Ivan Mauger of New Zealand in a run-off after both had finished the championship tied on 13 points. Mauger fell on lap 2 the 4 lap run-off while trying a risky passing move, leaving Szczakiel to win easily.
Major events run at the Stadium in the past include:
- Speedway World Championship:
- Individual: 1973, 1976, 1979 and 1986
- World Pairs: 1978 and 1981
- World Team Cup: 1974
- Speedway Grand Prix of Europe: 2002, 2003
Concerts
The stadium has hosted concerts by famous artists, including Red Hot Chili Peppers, and U2.
Other
In 2009, it was the venue of performances by Monster Jam.
References
- ↑ "stadion". Oficjalna strona Stadionu Śląskiego. Retrieved 27 June 2013.
- ↑ "Nowy Stadion Śląski robi wrażenie (wideo)" (in (Polish)). Sport.pl. Retrieved 2013-10-10.
- ↑ Match boycotted by Polish fans because of dissatisfaction of bad actions in Polish Football Association.
- "Pół wieku Stadionu Śląskiego" (Half a century of the Silesian Stadium)
- Gazeta Wyborcza
External links
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Silesian Stadium. |
- Official website (Polish)
- Slaski Stadion photos at worldstadiums
- Stadium history (Polish)
Coordinates: 50°17′17.53″N 18°58′22.65″E / 50.2882028°N 18.9729583°E