The Stadium Nürnberg

The Stadium Nürnberg, home of the great 1. FC Nürnberg, can boast over 80 years of enthralling history. Once called the ‘municipal’ stadium of Nuremberg, the venue has retained one defining feature: its classic appearance.

It all began when architect Otto Ernst Schweizer raised the idea of a stadium for the city of Nuremberg. By 1928, these plans had been put in motion and the region of Nuremberg could boast a brand new 50,000 capacity stadium. The architects of the main stand recreated it in the classic Bauhaus style. It is still listed as a protected architectural feature and can be admired today in its original form

During the time of National Socialism, the stadium was used as a site for party rallies and for the Hitler Youth. After the end of the Second World War in 1945, the US army converted the ‘municipal’ arena into a sports venue.

It wasn’t until 1963 that 1. FC Nürnberg returned to its old ground from before the war. As of 1963, the inaugural year of the Bundesliga, the Club began playing its home games here, soon equipped with grandstands and floodlights. From then on, the stands became places where people could witness unforgettable footballing moments in front of crowds as big as 75,000 (1. FC Nürnberg’s record attendance, set on may 30th 1971).

The first completed renovation took place between 1987 and 1991. The municipal stadium became the Frankish Stadium, a multi-purpose sports venue, developed to cater for sporting and cultural events and possessing a capacity of 44,833.

The second-to-last stitch in the fabric that is the stadium’ history came in 2004/05, when it was modernised and the capacity increased to 46,780 for the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany. And finally since the renovation of the stands in the winter of the 2009/10 season, the ground now boasts a maximum crowd of 48,548. It has been known as the easyCredit Stadium from March 13th 2006 till June 30th 2012.

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