Open House Praha will open the Strahov Stadium. But what will happen with it next?
Expanding over the idea of 8 football pitches, Strahov is the world's largest stadium. The Open House Prague festival manage to make it available to the public this year. When you see this colossus with your own eyes, you’ll ask yourself the same question we are wondering about: What can be done with it?
The glory days of the Strahov Stadium are over
The last All-Sokol event was held here in 1994, after which several unforgettable music concerts took place at the stadium. In 2002, AC Sparta Prague rented it for 30 years, with 80 different leaseholders in total. But now it's facing big unknown. The object, which is useless for commercial use, is aging fast in terms of both statics and construction. The annual costs are around CZK 30 million, with revenues of only CZK 7 million.
Future? Uncertain!
How does the future look like for the Strahov Stadium? It will probably be demolished and houses with flats will be built in its place. However, part of the stadium will have to be preserved - the concrete stands on the west side are listed. That means part of the space will continue to be used for sport purposes.
A few interesting facts about the stadium
During the First Republic, it was called Masaryk State Stadium. The first building was made of wood. The nearby college dormitories served as changing rooms and rooms for athletes at the stadium’s time of fame. Therefore, they do not conform to the standard: the corridors are too large (important for roll calls of the gymnasts) and the rooms too small. All 3 Strahov stadiums are pointed at White Mountain in a single axis.
Milestones:
1882: The first All-Sokol event
1885: The first Spartakiad
1985: The last Spartakiad
1994: The last All-Sokol event
1990: The first Rolling Stones concert
2002: The last cultural event: Ozzfest, featuring Ozzy Osbourne
