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Stadion im. Józefa Piłsudskiego (Stadion Cracovii) – until 2009

Capacity6 500
Covered seats 1100
Visitors places 350
CountryPoland
CityKrakow
ClubsMKS Cracovia SSA
Build year1912
Last renovation year2005
Retire year2009
Other names Stadion Edwarda Cetnarowskiego (1940's), John Paul II Stadium (2005-2006), Promised Land (nickname).
Floodlights 1400 lux
Inauguration 31.03.1912 (Cracovia - Pogoń Lviv, 2-2)
Renovations 1915, 1925, 1926, 1946, 1966, 1969, 2005
Record attendance 35 000 (1961)
Design Franciszek Mączyński (1912)
Address Kaluzy 1, 30-111 Krakow

Description

First, single-tiered wooden stands were erected in 1912 after half a year construction work. Financed by the club, but not on a ground owned by Cracovia – the terrain was leased from nearby Norbertan Sisters’ Order. On March 31st 1912 first game was played against Pogon Lviv, Poland’s oldest team back in the days.

At that time the ground was equipped with an athletics track and this is what was left after Russian army came to Krakow Turing WWI in 1914. Wood from the stands was supposedly used to supply resources to the army. New terracing was built in a few months and more changes came in 1925-1926. First stands were modified, then flooded in 1925 and then athletics track scrapped for a cycling track.

Not only flooding came as a natural disaster at Kaluzy St. In 1935 a hurricane torn off the main stand’s cover. Then in 1963 unknown perpetrators set fire to the stands which burnt down immediately. Another rebuilding took 3 years (1966) and redeveloping the cycling track another 3 years. Between the hurricane and fire a Nazi bomb landed in the stadium, destroying it partly back in 1939.

Though stands were redeveloped numerous times and the pitch was also moved slightly, this ground remains the oldest to be used in professional football in Poland. Current structure was built in 2010 along Polish-Spanish group Estudio Lamela’s design.

Pictures

2007

Stadion Cracovii (103.0869140625 KB)

20.10.2007 © Krzysztof Porębski / Stadiony.net

Stadion Cracovii (108.51953125 KB)

20.10.2007 © Krzysztof Porębski / Stadiony.net

Stadion Cracovii (132.6474609375 KB)

20.10.2007 © Krzysztof Porębski / Stadiony.net

Stadion Cracovii (113.9638671875 KB)

20.10.2007 © Krzysztof Porębski / Stadiony.net

2005

Stadion Cracovii (30.9375 KB)

06.05.2005 © Groundhopping.de

Stadion Cracovii (30.0361328125 KB)

06.05.2005 © Groundhopping.de

Stadion Cracovii (19.6376953125 KB)

06.05.2005 © Groundhopping.de

Stadion Cracovii (29.4072265625 KB)

06.05.2005 © Groundhopping.de

1925

Stadion Cracovii (113.064453125 KB)

During the 1925 flood.
1925 © Wikipasy.pl

Stadion Cracovii (116.5947265625 KB)

During the 1925 flood.
1925 © Wikipasy.pl

1924

Stadion Cracovii (136.90625 KB)

1924 © Wikipasy.pl