Gradski stadion u Poljudu
Encyclopedia
Stadion Poljud is a multi-use stadium
in the Croatia
n city of Split
. It takes its name from the neighbourhood of Poljud, and is located on the northern side of the Split peninsula. its original name is "Gradski stadion u Poljudu" ("City Stadium in Poljud"). The stadium was built for the 1979 Mediterranean Games
and is the home venue of the Hajduk Split football club. The stadium is the second largest in Croatia after the Maksimir stadium
and has a capacity of 34,011.
The venue was built to host the 1979 Mediterranean Games
and was opened by the then Yugoslav president, Josip Broz Tito
. It had an original capacity of 55,000, although this was surpassed to 62,000 in the 1980s.
Poljud Stadium was also the venue for the 1990 European Athletics Championships and the 2010 IAAF Continental Cup
.
Its author, architect Boris Magaš, was chosen among 20 other bids in 1975. architectural competition.
In 1979. it was one of the most modern stadiums in the world, and one of the first venues to use transparent lexan
plates on the roof, developed by General Electric Plastics
. It's impressive seashell-like roof structure, spanning 215 meters, has been copied by a large number of world stadiums in the years that followed. There are 19 cabins suspended on the west roof 'shell'. 7 of them are used by TV reporters, while the other are filled by the cameras, central referee station, photo finish
, scoreboard and audio control, etc. All of these are interconnected via catwalk, that runs through an entire roof structure, giving access to the cabins, as well as to the 630 lights, made by Phillips
, on the roof. The lighting on the stadium received a lot of praise and awards.
The stands had an initial capacity of 50,000. 25,924 places had seats, and the rest was a standing arrangement. Following the curved 'seashell' design of the stands, the largest number of seating rows is 54 (on the west and east stands), that is reduced to 27 rows on the north stand.
In the years that followed, the stadium received new seats, that covered entire stands. That reduced the capacity to 34,011, with 10,433 seats on the west, 13,073 on the east, 7,156 on the north, and 2,835 on the south.
The VIP stands have 514 seating places, with 147 large leather seats in the "Class A", and 367 smaller foldout leather seats in the "Class B". The VIP tribune is directly connected to the VIP lounge under the west stand.
The main scoreboard was made by Longines
, and had dimensions of 16 x 9 meters.
The new scoreboard was acquired in 2005. for the Croatia-Brazil friendly football match.
It was made by Technovision, and it has a color LED screen, with dimensions of 880 x 616 centimeters, and a resolution of 640 x 448 pixels.
When the stadium was a host to the 2010 IAAF Continental Cup
athletics competition, it was refurbished. New tartan track
was constructed, including the provision of new VIP boxes and seats.
Stadium
A modern stadium is a place or venue for outdoor sports, concerts, or other events and consists of a field or stage either partly or completely surrounded by a structure designed to allow spectators to stand or sit and view the event.)Pausanias noted that for about half a century the only event...
in the Croatia
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
n city of Split
Split (city)
Split is a Mediterranean city on the eastern shores of the Adriatic Sea, centered around the ancient Roman Palace of the Emperor Diocletian and its wide port bay. With a population of 178,192 citizens, and a metropolitan area numbering up to 467,899, Split is by far the largest Dalmatian city and...
. It takes its name from the neighbourhood of Poljud, and is located on the northern side of the Split peninsula. its original name is "Gradski stadion u Poljudu" ("City Stadium in Poljud"). The stadium was built for the 1979 Mediterranean Games
1979 Mediterranean Games
The 8th edition of the Mediterranean Games was held in Split, Yugoslavia from 15 to 29 September 1979. Fourteen nations competed in 26 different sports.The games' mascot was the Mediterranean Monk Seal Adrijana.-Medal table:...
and is the home venue of the Hajduk Split football club. The stadium is the second largest in Croatia after the Maksimir stadium
Maksimir Stadium
Maksimir Stadium is a stadium in the Croatian capital of Zagreb. It takes its name from the neighbourhood of Maksimir. It is primarily the home of Dinamo Zagreb, the top football team in the country. It is also home to Dinamo Zagreb's farm team NK Lokomotiva....
and has a capacity of 34,011.
The venue was built to host the 1979 Mediterranean Games
1979 Mediterranean Games
The 8th edition of the Mediterranean Games was held in Split, Yugoslavia from 15 to 29 September 1979. Fourteen nations competed in 26 different sports.The games' mascot was the Mediterranean Monk Seal Adrijana.-Medal table:...
and was opened by the then Yugoslav president, Josip Broz Tito
Josip Broz Tito
Marshal Josip Broz Tito – 4 May 1980) was a Yugoslav revolutionary and statesman. While his presidency has been criticized as authoritarian, Tito was a popular public figure both in Yugoslavia and abroad, viewed as a unifying symbol for the nations of the Yugoslav federation...
. It had an original capacity of 55,000, although this was surpassed to 62,000 in the 1980s.
Poljud Stadium was also the venue for the 1990 European Athletics Championships and the 2010 IAAF Continental Cup
2010 IAAF Continental Cup
The 1st IAAF Continental Cup was an international track and field sporting event held under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations. Originally scheduled as the 11th IAAF World Cup in Athletics, it was renamed in 2008 when the IAAF revamped the competition format...
.
Design
The stadium is affectionately known to the locals as the "Poljudska ljepotica" or "Poljud beauty".Its author, architect Boris Magaš, was chosen among 20 other bids in 1975. architectural competition.
In 1979. it was one of the most modern stadiums in the world, and one of the first venues to use transparent lexan
Lexan
Lexan is a registered trademark for SABIC Innovative Plastics' brand of polycarbonate resin thermoplastic. Polycarbonate polymer is produced by reacting bisphenol A with carbonyl dichloride, also known as phosgene. Lexan is the brand name for polycarbonate sheet and resin in a wide range of grades...
plates on the roof, developed by General Electric Plastics
General Electric
General Electric Company , or GE, is an American multinational conglomerate corporation incorporated in Schenectady, New York and headquartered in Fairfield, Connecticut, United States...
. It's impressive seashell-like roof structure, spanning 215 meters, has been copied by a large number of world stadiums in the years that followed. There are 19 cabins suspended on the west roof 'shell'. 7 of them are used by TV reporters, while the other are filled by the cameras, central referee station, photo finish
Photo finish
A photo finish occurs in a sporting race, when two competitors cross the finishing line at near the same time. As the naked eye may not be able to discriminate between which of the competitors crossed the line first, a strip photo, a series of rapidly triggered photographs, or a video taken at the...
, scoreboard and audio control, etc. All of these are interconnected via catwalk, that runs through an entire roof structure, giving access to the cabins, as well as to the 630 lights, made by Phillips
Phillips
-Places:In the United States:*Phillips, California, unincorporated community in El Dorado County*Phillips, Maine, town in Franklin County*Phillips, Nebraska, village in Hamilton County*Phillips, Minneapolis, Minnesota, community in the city of Minneapolis...
, on the roof. The lighting on the stadium received a lot of praise and awards.
The stands had an initial capacity of 50,000. 25,924 places had seats, and the rest was a standing arrangement. Following the curved 'seashell' design of the stands, the largest number of seating rows is 54 (on the west and east stands), that is reduced to 27 rows on the north stand.
In the years that followed, the stadium received new seats, that covered entire stands. That reduced the capacity to 34,011, with 10,433 seats on the west, 13,073 on the east, 7,156 on the north, and 2,835 on the south.
The VIP stands have 514 seating places, with 147 large leather seats in the "Class A", and 367 smaller foldout leather seats in the "Class B". The VIP tribune is directly connected to the VIP lounge under the west stand.
The main scoreboard was made by Longines
Longines
Longines is a Swiss luxury watchmaker based in Saint-Imier, Switzerland. The company was originally founded by Auguste Agassiz in 1832 and it currently holds the oldest registered logo for a watch company . Longines is currently owned by the Swatch Group.Longines is known for its 'Aviators' watches...
, and had dimensions of 16 x 9 meters.
The new scoreboard was acquired in 2005. for the Croatia-Brazil friendly football match.
It was made by Technovision, and it has a color LED screen, with dimensions of 880 x 616 centimeters, and a resolution of 640 x 448 pixels.
When the stadium was a host to the 2010 IAAF Continental Cup
2010 IAAF Continental Cup
The 1st IAAF Continental Cup was an international track and field sporting event held under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations. Originally scheduled as the 11th IAAF World Cup in Athletics, it was renamed in 2008 when the IAAF revamped the competition format...
athletics competition, it was refurbished. New tartan track
Tartan track
Tartan Track is the trademarked all-weather synthetic track surfacing made of polyurethane which is used for track and field competitions. It lets athletes compete in bad weather without serious performance loss and improves their results over other surfaces...
was constructed, including the provision of new VIP boxes and seats.
Music events
The stadium also served as popular venue for music events. Some of the most spectacular of those include the concerts of:- Mišo KovačMišo KovacMišo Kovač is a Croatian singer who was one of the most popular musical icons of the former Yugoslavia, and still popular today in Croatia.-Biography:...
in 1993, - Marko PerkovićMarko PerkovicMarko Perković is a Croatian musician and is the lead singer of the band Thompson since 1991....
-ThompsonThompson (band)Thompson is a Croatian rock band. The group was founded by Marko Perković "Thompson", who is often identified with the band itself, "Thompson" being his stage name. Perković is the songwriter and lead vocalist...
on 15 September 2002, - Ne damo te pismo naša - concert of various klapaKlapaThe klapa music is a form of traditional Croatian a cappella singing . The word klapa translates as "a group of friends" and traces its roots to littoral church singing . The motifs in general celebrate love, wine , country and sea...
artists held on 3 September 2006 and - BritishUnited KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
heavy metalHeavy metal musicHeavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
band Iron MaidenIron MaidenIron Maiden are an English heavy metal band from Leyton in east London, formed in 1975 by bassist and primary songwriter Steve Harris. Since their inception, the band's discography has grown to include a total of thirty-six albums: fifteen studio albums; eleven live albums; four EPs; and six...
on their Somewhere Back In Time World TourSomewhere Back In Time World TourSomewhere Back in Time World Tour was a concert tour by Iron Maiden in 2008 and 2009, focussed on the band's 80s material, in particular songs from Powerslave, Somewhere In Time and Seventh Son of a Seventh Son...
in 10 August 2008.