Paul Greifzu Stadium
Encyclopedia
The Paul Greifzu Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium
in Dessau-Roßlau
. It is one of the most modern stadia in Saxony-Anhalt
.
s heralded the opening of the Paul Greifzu Stadium in Dessau in October 1952. It was named after German motorsport racer and constructor Paul Greifzu
who had died in a training accident in Dessau in May that same year. The stadium had been built by voluntary work on dozens of tons of rubble from the ruins of Dessau. Altogether, 51,000 hours of work were spent to construct a 35,000 capacity stadium. It soon became a location for regional athletics championships. During the GDR era, little was done for the maintenance and preservation of the stadium. Only after German reunification
, in the mid-1990s, did the city of Dessau develop plans for the remodeling of the stadium. In several steps the complex as renovated and expanded. An important innovation was the construction of complete facilities for track and field athletics. Had athletes had to be content with a cinder track, they now found a modern running track providing optimal conditions for competitions. The facilities were completed by providing for other disciplines, such as shot put
, javelin throw
, high jump
, pole vault
and discus throw
. The first test for the new facilities came in 1998, when Great Britain, France and Germany U23 teams competed in track and field there.
Just a little later floodights were installed with an illuminance rating of 1,823 lux
, one of the highest-rated floodlights in Germany. In 2002 a new west stand was constructed that provides for 2,048 covered seats. The last step of renovation to date was the construction of changing rooms and other operational facilities below the east stand, but further ideas for remodeling the complex exist. Altogether 6.7 million Euros have been invested in the stadium since 1996, turning it into one of the most modern stadia in Central Germany.
Every year the Anhalt-Meeting is held in the Paul Greifzu Stadium, regarded as one of the best outdoor meetings in Europe by athletes such as Franka Dietzsch
or Tim Lobinger
. It is also the home of LAC Dessau, the local track and field athletics club.
Several famous football clubs have played in the stadium, such as FC Bayern Munich
in a DFB-Pokal
match against TSV Völpke in DFB-Pokal 2004–05 and a friendly against SV Dessau 05
in 2005. Leeds United A.F.C and Atlético Madrid played friendlies against FC Energie Cottbus in 2006 and 2007, respectively. Several matches of the now defunct DFB-Ligapokal
were also held in Dessau, as well as several finals of the East German Cup, the FDGB-Pokal.
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 Dessau-Roßlau
Dessau-Roßlau
' is an independent city and urban district in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt. It is situated at the confluence of the rivers Elbe and Mulde. The town was formed by merger of the independent city of Dessau with the town of Roßlau in the course of the Kreisreform Sachsen-Anhalt on 1 July 2007...
. It is one of the most modern stadia in Saxony-Anhalt
Saxony-Anhalt
Saxony-Anhalt is a landlocked state of Germany. Its capital is Magdeburg and it is surrounded by the German states of Lower Saxony, Brandenburg, Saxony, and Thuringia.Saxony-Anhalt covers an area of...
.
Overview
Eight peace doveDove
Pigeons and doves constitute the bird family Columbidae within the order Columbiformes, which include some 300 species of near passerines. In general terms "dove" and "pigeon" are used somewhat interchangeably...
s heralded the opening of the Paul Greifzu Stadium in Dessau in October 1952. It was named after German motorsport racer and constructor Paul Greifzu
Paul Greifzu
Paul Greifzu was a German motorsport racer and constructor from Suhl. He was successful before and after World War II with motorcycles and sports cars....
who had died in a training accident in Dessau in May that same year. The stadium had been built by voluntary work on dozens of tons of rubble from the ruins of Dessau. Altogether, 51,000 hours of work were spent to construct a 35,000 capacity stadium. It soon became a location for regional athletics championships. During the GDR era, little was done for the maintenance and preservation of the stadium. Only after German reunification
German reunification
German reunification was the process in 1990 in which the German Democratic Republic joined the Federal Republic of Germany , and when Berlin reunited into a single city, as provided by its then Grundgesetz constitution Article 23. The start of this process is commonly referred by Germans as die...
, in the mid-1990s, did the city of Dessau develop plans for the remodeling of the stadium. In several steps the complex as renovated and expanded. An important innovation was the construction of complete facilities for track and field athletics. Had athletes had to be content with a cinder track, they now found a modern running track providing optimal conditions for competitions. The facilities were completed by providing for other disciplines, such as shot put
Shot put
The shot put is a track and field event involving "putting" a heavy metal ball—the shot—as far as possible. It is common to use the term "shot put" to refer to both the shot itself and to the putting action....
, javelin throw
Javelin throw
The javelin throw is a track and field athletics throwing event where the object to be thrown is the javelin, a spear approximately 2.5 metres in length. Javelin is an event of both the men's decathlon and the women's heptathlon...
, high jump
High jump
The high jump is a track and field athletics event in which competitors must jump over a horizontal bar placed at measured heights without the aid of certain devices in its modern most practiced format; auxiliary weights and mounds have been used for assistance; rules have changed over the years....
, pole vault
Pole vault
Pole vaulting is a track and field event in which a person uses a long, flexible pole as an aid to leap over a bar. Pole jumping competitions were known to the ancient Greeks, as well as the Cretans and Celts...
and discus throw
Discus throw
The discus throw is an event in track and field athletics competition, in which an athlete throws a heavy disc—called a discus—in an attempt to mark a farther distance than his or her competitors. It is an ancient sport, as evidenced by the 5th century BC Myron statue, Discobolus...
. The first test for the new facilities came in 1998, when Great Britain, France and Germany U23 teams competed in track and field there.
Just a little later floodights were installed with an illuminance rating of 1,823 lux
Lux
The lux is the SI unit of illuminance and luminous emittance, measuring luminous flux per unit area. It is used in photometry as a measure of the intensity, as perceived by the human eye, of light that hits or passes through a surface...
, one of the highest-rated floodlights in Germany. In 2002 a new west stand was constructed that provides for 2,048 covered seats. The last step of renovation to date was the construction of changing rooms and other operational facilities below the east stand, but further ideas for remodeling the complex exist. Altogether 6.7 million Euros have been invested in the stadium since 1996, turning it into one of the most modern stadia in Central Germany.
Every year the Anhalt-Meeting is held in the Paul Greifzu Stadium, regarded as one of the best outdoor meetings in Europe by athletes such as Franka Dietzsch
Franka Dietzsch
Franka Dietzsch is a German discus thrower best known for winning gold medals at three World Championships in Athletics...
or Tim Lobinger
Tim Lobinger
Tim Lobinger is a German pole vaulter.His discipline is pole vault and he has been an elite competitor since the 1990s. His best results came in 1997 and 1999 when he jumped over 6.00 meters...
. It is also the home of LAC Dessau, the local track and field athletics club.
Several famous football clubs have played in the stadium, such as FC Bayern Munich
FC Bayern Munich
FC Bayern Munich , is a German sports club based in Munich, Bavaria. It is best known for its professional football team, which is the most successful football club in Germany, having won 22 national titles and 15 cups....
in a DFB-Pokal
DFB-Pokal
The DFB-Pokal or DFB Cup is a German knockout football cup competition held annually. 64 teams participate in the competition, including all clubs from the Bundesliga and the 2nd Bundesliga. It is considered the second most important national title in German football after the Bundesliga...
match against TSV Völpke in DFB-Pokal 2004–05 and a friendly against SV Dessau 05
SV Dessau 05
SV Dessau 05 is a German association football club based in Dessau, Saxony-Anhalt. They distinguished themselves in 1949 as winners of the inaugural FDGB-Pokal .-History:...
in 2005. Leeds United A.F.C and Atlético Madrid played friendlies against FC Energie Cottbus in 2006 and 2007, respectively. Several matches of the now defunct DFB-Ligapokal
DFB-Ligapokal
The DFB-Ligapokal, or German League Cup, was a German football competition that took place before the start of the Bundesliga season, featuring the top five teams of the previous Fußball-Bundesliga season and the winners of the DFB-Pokal in Germany...
were also held in Dessau, as well as several finals of the East German Cup, the FDGB-Pokal.