Merck-Stadion am Böllenfalltor – stadium description

This stadium’s history began in 1919, when a merger saw the predecessor of SV Darmstadt 98 created. Growing club needed a new home and location for that was selected just beside already existing university stadium in south-eastern Darmstadt. Upon opening in 1921 it could hold 8,000 people, many on a wooden grandstand in the west.

Böllenfalltor was used for baseball by American soldiers after the WWII until it was redeveloped in 1950-52 with new landfill terracing created on three sides.

The fourth waited until 1975 to see a complete new grandstand built, the one existing to this day. Seeing the club’s promotion to the Bundesliga, the landfill terracing was expanded in 1978 to accommodate 30,000 people, while in 1981 the floodlights were replaced. Since then the shape hasn’t changed significantly, though changing safety norms led to the capacity being nearly halved.