Millerntor-Stadion
Encyclopedia
The Millerntor-Stadion is a multi-purpose stadium
in Hamburg
St. Pauli
, Germany
. It is mainly used for football
matches and is the home stadium of FC St. Pauli
. It is on the Heiligengeistfeld
, near the Reeperbahn
, the red light district of Hamburg. The stadium had a capacity of 32 000 when it was built in 1961. Sometimes it is used for the American football
team of the Hamburg Blue Devils
and very rarely for concerts or festivals (recent the Retter festival 2003).
Before 1961 the FC St. Pauli played nearby in a stadium constructed in 1946. But due to the IGA (International Garden exposition) 1963 in Hamburg it had to be removed. On the former area the park Planten un Blomen
was constructed. Within the years the capacity was reduced to 20 629 for safety reasons. The biggest change within these years was the construction of a temporary seating area above the back straight, allowing the promotion into the Bundesliga
1988. This temporary area is still in use.
In the end of the eighties plans for a new stadium, the so-called Sportdome were blocked by residents and supporters of the club. In the nineties the chairman of the club, the architect Heinz Weisener, made new plans, but they collapsed due to the financial situation of the club. The question of a new stadium looks like a never-ending story and every chairman has made their own plans.
and has caused the capacity to be reduced to 15,600 people. Some troubles in the club leadership deferred the reconstruction. Some fans speak cynically of the "Littman hole", with regard to the controversial chairman Corny Littmann and the fact that a tribune is lost. But in the spring 2007 the reconstruction work started. However, with the newly reconstructed south stand (nearly finished in March 2008) and a provisional seating area above the northern stand, the capacity increased to 22,648 (2-1 victory over VfL Osnabrück
20 March 2008). The main tribune was demolished in mid-November 2009. With the new seating sections completed in time for the start of the 2010-2011 season, the capacity increased to 24,487. The completely reconstructed Millerntor stadium will have a capacity of 30,000. Completion is expected in 2014 or earlier, depending on the league results.
Progress overview
1. South stand: 3,000 standing places, 2,600 seats (1,000 business) and 10 Séparées (VIP Lounge)
2. Main tribune: 4,800 seats and 200 Séparées
3. North stand: 1940 standing places for guest supporters, 3,375 seats for home and guest
4. Back straight: 10,000 standing places, 1,175 seats
With the reconstructed south stand the club fulfils their licence terms for the DFL
, because all technical requirements (e.g. undersoil heating) are included. Further the old cult manual scoreboard is exchanged for a digital one. The old scoreboard might get a place somewhere at the stadium front.
Currently, as of summer 2011, a new official Fanshop is under construction at the Reeperbahn
.
Millerntor was the original site of Hamburg Observatory, built in 1802, by Johann Georg Repsold
.
Multi-purpose stadium
Multi-purpose stadiums are a type of stadium designed in such a way as to be easily used by multiple sports. While any stadium could potentially host more than one sport, this concept usually refers to a specific design philosophy that stresses multi-functionality over specificity...
in Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
St. Pauli
St. Pauli
St. Pauli , located in the Hamburg-Mitte borough, is one of the 105 quarters of the city of Hamburg, Germany. Situated on the right bank of the Elbe river, the Landungsbrücken are a northern part of the port of Hamburg. St. Pauli contains a world famous red light district around the street Reeperbahn...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. It is mainly used for football
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
matches and is the home stadium of FC St. Pauli
FC St. Pauli
Fußball-Club St. Pauli is a German sports club based in the St. Pauli quarter of Hamburg. The football section is part of a larger club that also has Rugby Fußball-Club St. Pauli is a German sports club based in the St. Pauli quarter of Hamburg. The football section is part of a larger club that...
. It is on the Heiligengeistfeld
Heiligengeistfeld
Heiligengeistfeld is an area of Hamburg in the St. Pauli quarter. Since 1893 the funfair Hamburger DOM is held here. In times where this area is not used for exhibitions, circuses or the DOM it is a car park...
, near the Reeperbahn
Reeperbahn
The Reeperbahn is a street in Hamburg's St. Pauli district, one of the two centres of Hamburg's nightlife and also the city's red-light district...
, the red light district of Hamburg. The stadium had a capacity of 32 000 when it was built in 1961. Sometimes it is used for the American football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
team of the Hamburg Blue Devils
Hamburg Blue Devils
The Hamburg Blue Devils are an American football team in Hamburg, Germany. The Blue Devils are one of the most successful American football clubs in Germany, having won four German Bowls as well as three Eurobowls...
and very rarely for concerts or festivals (recent the Retter festival 2003).
History
Planten un Blomen
Planten un Blomen is a park with a size of 47 hectares in the center of Hamburg. The name is Low German for plants and flowers.-Overview:The first plant was a Platanus, planted by Johann Georg Christian Lehmann in November 1821...
was constructed. Within the years the capacity was reduced to 20 629 for safety reasons. The biggest change within these years was the construction of a temporary seating area above the back straight, allowing the promotion into the Bundesliga
Fußball-Bundesliga
The Fußball-Bundesliga is a professional association football league in Germany. At the top of Germany's football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. It is contested by 18 teams and operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the 2. Bundesliga...
1988. This temporary area is still in use.
In the end of the eighties plans for a new stadium, the so-called Sportdome were blocked by residents and supporters of the club. In the nineties the chairman of the club, the architect Heinz Weisener, made new plans, but they collapsed due to the financial situation of the club. The question of a new stadium looks like a never-ending story and every chairman has made their own plans.
Reconstruction since 2006
Finally in December 2006 the south stand was demolished after the game versus WuppertalWuppertaler SV Borussia
Wuppertaler SV Borussia is a German association football club located in Wuppertal, North Rhine-Westphalia. The city was founded in 1929 out of the union of a number of smaller towns including Elberfeld, Barmen, Vohwinkel, Cronenberg and Ronsdorf – each with its own football club...
and has caused the capacity to be reduced to 15,600 people. Some troubles in the club leadership deferred the reconstruction. Some fans speak cynically of the "Littman hole", with regard to the controversial chairman Corny Littmann and the fact that a tribune is lost. But in the spring 2007 the reconstruction work started. However, with the newly reconstructed south stand (nearly finished in March 2008) and a provisional seating area above the northern stand, the capacity increased to 22,648 (2-1 victory over VfL Osnabrück
VfL Osnabrück
VfL Osnabrück is a German multi-sport club in Osnabrück, Lower Saxony. It currently fields teams in basketball, gymnastics, swimming, table tennis, and tennis, but is by far best known for its football section.- Foundation to WW2 :...
20 March 2008). The main tribune was demolished in mid-November 2009. With the new seating sections completed in time for the start of the 2010-2011 season, the capacity increased to 24,487. The completely reconstructed Millerntor stadium will have a capacity of 30,000. Completion is expected in 2014 or earlier, depending on the league results.
Progress overview
1. South stand: 3,000 standing places, 2,600 seats (1,000 business) and 10 Séparées (VIP Lounge)
2. Main tribune: 4,800 seats and 200 Séparées
3. North stand: 1940 standing places for guest supporters, 3,375 seats for home and guest
4. Back straight: 10,000 standing places, 1,175 seats
With the reconstructed south stand the club fulfils their licence terms for the DFL
Deutsche Fußball Liga
The Deutsche Fußball Liga GmbH is a subsidiary of Die Liga – Fußballverband. The DFL is responsible for the operation of the 1. Bundesliga and 2. Bundesliga.- Function :...
, because all technical requirements (e.g. undersoil heating) are included. Further the old cult manual scoreboard is exchanged for a digital one. The old scoreboard might get a place somewhere at the stadium front.
Currently, as of summer 2011, a new official Fanshop is under construction at the Reeperbahn
Reeperbahn
The Reeperbahn is a street in Hamburg's St. Pauli district, one of the two centres of Hamburg's nightlife and also the city's red-light district...
.
Name
From 1970–1998, the Millerntor-Stadion was known as the Wilhelm-Koch-Stadion. It was renamed to Millerntor-Stadion by the club members, due to the membership of Wilhelm Koch in the NSDAP. In 2007 the club members decided that there is to be no commercial use of the name.Millerntor was the original site of Hamburg Observatory, built in 1802, by Johann Georg Repsold
Johann Georg Repsold
Johann Georg Repsold was a German astronomer.He joined the fire brigade of Hamburg in 1799. In 1802 he began building a private observatory, and collaborated in astronomical observations with Heinrich Christian Schumacher. However the observatory was destroyed in the Napoleonic Wars in 1811...
.
External links
- St. Pauli Official Website in EnglishEnglish languageEnglish is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
- Millerntor-Stadion
- Millerntor-Stadion in GermanGerman languageGerman is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
- Atmosphere at Millerntor Stadium GermanGerman languageGerman is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
