Ernst-Happel-Stadion
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| Former names | Praterstadion (1931–92) |
|---|---|
| Location | Meiereistraße 7,[1] Vienna, Austria |
| Coordinates | 48°12′25.8″N 16°25′13.9″E / 48.207167°N 16.420528°E |
| Owner | City of Vienna |
| Operator | Wiener Stadthalle Betriebs- und Veranstaltungsgesellschaft m.b.H. |
| Type | UEFA Category 4 Stadium |
| Capacity | 50,865[2] (end-stage) 68,500 (center-stage) |
| Record attendance | 90,726 (Austria-Spain, 30 October 1960) |
| Field size | 105 m × 68 m (344 ft × 223 ft) |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | 1929 |
| Built | 1929-1931 |
| Opened | July 11, 1931 |
| Renovated | 1986 |
| Architect | Otto Ernst Schweizer |
| Tenants | |
| Austrian national football team Rapid Vienna (2013–2016) Austria Vienna (2016–present) 2011 IFAF World Championship | |
The Ernst Happel Stadium (ⓘ) (Praterstadion until 1992, sometimes also called Wiener Stadion) in Leopoldstadt, the 2nd district of Austria's capital Vienna, is the largest stadium in Austria. It was built between 1929 and 1931 for the second Workers' Olympiad to the design of German architect Otto Ernst Schweizer. The stadium was renamed in honour of Ernst Happel following his death in 1992. The stadium was host to seven games in UEFA Euro 2008, including the final which saw Spain triumph over Germany.
The stadium is owned by the City of Vienna (Municipal Department 51 - Sports of the City of Vienna). It is managed by the Wiener Stadthalle Betriebs und Veranstaltungsgesellschaft m.b.H., a subsidiary of Wien Holding.
History
1928-1945
The foundation stone was laid in November 1928 in honor of the 10-year celebration of the Republic of Austria. The stadium was constructed in 23 months, from 1929 to 1931. It was built according a design by the Tübingen architect Otto Ernst Schweizer and the second Workers' Olympiad. Schweizer also designed the adjacent Stadionbad (with 400,000 sq m, Europe's largest swimming pool). According to its location in Vienna's Prater, it was initially named Prater Stadium. It was a modern stadium at the time, particularly in Europe, because of its short discharge time of only 7 to 8 minutes. Initially the stadium had a capacity of approximately 60,000 people.
During the National Socialist Era (1938–1945) the stadium was used as a military barracks and staging area and as a temporary prison for the deportation of Jewish citizens.[3] Between September 11 and 13, 1939, after the attack on Poland, over a thousand Polish-born Viennese Jews were detained on the orders Reinhard Heydrich. They were imprisoned beneath the grandstands in the corridors of Section B. On September 30, 1,038 prisoners were deported to the Buchenwald concentration camp. The next day, the stadium was back to being used for a football match. 44 men were released in early 1940, 26 were freed in 1945, the rest were murdered in the camps. In 1988, one of the surviving victims, Fritz Klein, was awarded a compensation by the Austrian government equivalent to 62,50 euros for being detained in the stadium. In 2003 a memorial plaque, commemorating these events, was unveiled in the VIP area by a private initiative. In 1944, the stadium was severely damaged during a bomb attack on the Wehrmarcht Staff offices.
1945-2000
After the war and the reconstruction of the stadium, it was again sporting its original use. In 1956, the stadium's capacity was expanded to 92,708 people by Theodor Schull, but in 1965 the capacity was reduced. The attendance record was 91,000[citation needed] spectators set on October 30, 1960 at the football match between Spain and Austria (0-3).
In the mid-1980s, the stands were covered and fully equipped with seats. At its reopening a friendly match against archrivals Germany was organised. Austria won the match 4-1. After the death of former Austrian top player and coach Ernst Happel, the Prater Stadium was renamed after him in 1992.
In 1964, 1987, 1990, and 1995, the Ernst Happel Stadium was the venue of the European Cup/UEFA Champions League final.
In 1970, the stadium was the venue of the 1970 European Cup Winners' Cup Final which saw Manchester City F.C. squeeze past Górnik Zabrze. This final was played under heavy rain, which restricted the attendance for the event to 7,968.
UEFA Euro 2008
During the UEFA Euro 2008 tournament, the Ernst Happel Stadium was the venue for the Final match. Previously, the three group matches of the Austrian National Team, two quarter finals and a semifinal match took place in the stadium. In preparation for the tournament, the first and second place additional rows of seats increased the stadium's capacity to 53,000 seats.
Leading up to the tournament, it was fitted with a heated pitch in the summer of 2005. In May 2008, a connection to the Vienna U-Bahn was established, easing access from all over the city. The cost of the rebuilding was €39,600,000.
The following games were played at the stadium during the UEFA Euro 2008:
| Date | Time (CET) | Team #1 | Result | Team #2 | Round | Spectators |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 June 2008 | 18.00 |  Austria |
0 – 1 |  Croatia |
Group B | 51,428 |
| 12 June 2008 | 20.45 | Austria |
1 – 1 |  Poland |
Group B | 51,428 |
| 16 June 2008 | 20.45 | Austria |
0 – 1 |  Germany |
Group B | 51,428 |
| 20 June 2008 | 20.45 | Croatia |
1 – 1 aet (1 – 3 pen.) |
 Turkey |
Quarter-finals | 51,428 |
| 22 June 2008 | 20.45 |  Spain |
0 – 0 aet (4 – 2 pen.) |
 Italy |
Quarter-finals | 48,000 |
| 26 June 2008 | 20.45 |  Russia |
0 – 3 | Spain |
Semi-final | 51,428 |
| 29 June 2008 | 20.45 | Germany |
0 – 1 | Spain |
Final | 51,428 |
Football
The Ernst Happel Stadium is the largest football stadium in Austria. It is the home of the Austrian national football team. Club football matches are generally limited to the domestic cup final and international competitions featuring one of Vienna's top clubs, FK Austria Wien and SK Rapid Wien, as their regular stadiums are too small to host UEFA Champions League and UEFA Cup matches. Vienna derby matches between FK Austria and SK Rapid have also been played in the stadium.
The stadium is rated one of UEFA's Five Star Stadiums permitting it to host the UEFA Champions League final. The seating capacity was temporarily expanded to 53,008[4] for the UEFA Euro 2008 championship, with the final played in the stadium. The stadium also hosted 3 group games, 2 quarter-final matches, a semi-final and final. The attendance record of 92,706 for the match against the Soviet Union was in 1960.[5] The capacity has since been reduced.
Notable matches held in the stadium
- UEFA Euro 2008 Final: Spain 1–0 Germany
- 1995 UEFA Champions League Final: Ajax Amsterdam 1–0 Milan
- 1994 UEFA Cup Final: Internazionale 1–0 Austria Salzburg
- 1990 European Cup Final: Milan 1–0 Benfica
- 1987 European Cup Final: Porto 2–1 Bayern Munich
- 1970 European Cup Winners' Cup Final: Manchester City 2–1 Górnik Zabrze
- 1964 European Cup Final: Internazionale 3–1 Real Madrid
Other sports
Other sporting events are held in the stadium, including athletics, cycling and tennis. In 1950, 35,000[6] watched Austrian Josef Weidinger win the European Heavyweight crown against Stefan Olek (of France), and a temporary pool in the stadium was the venue for the 1995 European LC Championships.
On July 16, 2011, the American Football World Championship final took place where USA defeated rivals Canada with a score of 50-7 in front of 20,000 spectators.
In June 6 and 7, 2014, the three game of the final stage of the 13th European Championship of American Football took place in this stadium.
Panorama
Concerts
| Concerts at Ernst Happel Stadium | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date | Artist | Tour | Attendance |
| June 2, 1988 | Michael Jackson | Bad World Tour | — |
| 1 July 1988 | Pink Floyd | A Momentary Lapse of Reason Tour | — |
| June 14, 1990 | Tina Turner | Foreign Affair: The Farewell Tour | — |
| August 26, 1992 | Michael Jackson | Dangerous World Tour | — |
| June 2, 1993 | Guns N' Roses | Use Your Illusion Tour | — |
| July 4, 10 1996 | Tina Turner | Wildest Dreams Tour | — |
| July 2, 1997 | Michael Jackson | HIStory World Tour | — |
| August 1, 2000 | Tina Turner | Twenty Four Seven Tour | — |
| June 29, 2001 | Bon Jovi | One Wild Night Tour | — |
| May 28, 2003 | Bon Jovi | Bounce Tour | — |
| June 28, 2003 | Bruce Springsteen | The Rising Tour | — |
| 4 July 2003 | Robbie Williams | 2003 Tour | — |
| July 2, 2005 | U2 | Vertigo Tour | 55,645 |
| 14 July 2006 | The Rolling Stones | A Bigger Bang | — |
| 18, 19 August 2006 | Robbie Williams | Close Encounters Tour | — |
| 24 May 2009 | AC/DC | Black Ice World Tour | — |
| July 5, 2009 | Bruce Springsteen | Working on a Dream Tour | 37,798 |
| 30 August 2010 | U2 | U2 360° Tour | 69,253 |
| July 22, 2011 | Bon Jovi | Bon Jovi Live | 56,280 |
| July 12, 2012 | Bruce Springsteen | Wrecking Ball World Tour | 50,293 |
| July 29, 2012 | Madonna | The MDNA Tour | 33,250 |
| 27 June 2013 | Paul McCartney | Out There | — |
| 23 August 2013 | Roger Waters | The Wall Live | 36,385 |
| 10 June 2015 | One Direction | On the Road Again Tour | 43,788 |
| 30 June, 1 July 2015 | Helene Fischer | Farbenspiel Live | 90,000 |
| 19 May 2016 | AC/DC | Rock or Bust World Tour | — |
| 11 June 2017 | Coldplay | A Head Full of Dreams Tour | — |
| July 10, 2017 | Guns N' Roses | Not in This Lifetime... Tour | — |
| July 11, 2018 | Helene Fischer | Helene Fischer Live 2017/2018 | — |
| 26 August 2017 | Robbie Williams | The Heavy Entertainment Show Tour | — |
| 7, 8 August 2018 | Ed Sheeran | ÷ Tour | — |
References
- ^ http://www.worldofstadiums.com/europe/austria/ernst-happel-stadion/
- ^ http://www.uefa.com/MultimediaFiles/Download/FirstDiv/uefaorg/Publications/01/67/03/93/1670393_DOWNLOAD.pdf
- ^ "Happel Stadium hides a sinister past".
- ^ "Vienna City Government website".
- ^ "Vienna City Government website".
- ^ "Vienna City Government website".
| Events and tenants | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | European Cup Final Venue 1964 |
Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | UEFA Cup Winners Cup Final Venue 1970 |
Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | European Cup Final Venue 1987 |
Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | European Cup Final Venue 1990 |
Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | UEFA Champions League Final Venue 1995 |
Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | UEFA European Football Championship Final Venue 2008 |
Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | IFAF World Championship Final Venue 2011 |
Succeeded by |
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| Home stadium |
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