Ludwigsparkstadion – stadium description

What was the old Ludwigsparkstadion like?

The historic Ludwigsparkstadion from 1953 to 2016 can be seen on a separate subpage

The old Ludwigsparkstadion was inaugurated on August 2, 1953 as the largest stadium of the entire Saarland, which was then (1947–1956) a French protectorate. The permanent host of the venue was the 1. FC Saarbrücken, the Saarland national team played here and later also the West Germany national team. The stadium also hosted other sporting and non-sporting events.

The facility had an athletics track surrounded by uncovered, embanked stands, although reinforced concrete covered sections were added along the pitch at the top. Among other features, the stadium was equipped with floodlighting and an digital scoreboard, and its capacity in its old configuration was 35,303 spectators.

When was the new Ludwigsparkstadion built?

At the beginning of 2016, a comprehensive redevelopment of the facility began, which included the construction of completely new stands behind the goals and in the south (main stand). The new stands were built right next to the pitch, giving the facility a football-specific look. The redevelopment project was prepared by Gerkan, Marg and Partners (gmp), in collaboration with schlaich bergermann partner (sbp).

The upper, reinforced concrete and roofed section of the 1976 north stand was retained and modernised, while the lower section was reconfigured. Although the main stand is on the opposite side, it is the north stand that is the highest in the entire stadium. The old floodlight masts have also been retained, although they are supported by additional spotlights embedded in the canopy.

As a result of the modernisation, the capacity of the stadium has been reduced to around 16,000 spectators (including 6,000 standing places), but fans have received greater comfort and better visibility. Due to being embedded in a basin, part of the new stands still rest on the embankments. In the corners and on the north stand, sections of the earth embankments have been left exposed. An important part of the stadium's landscape is its forest surroundings.

Completion of the redevelopment took place in 2021, but 1. FC Saarbrücken returned to the facility at the start of the 2020/21 season (for the duration of the construction, the club temporarily moved to Hermann-Neuberger-Stadion in nearby Völklingen).