Two enthusiasts started campaigning to list the 86-year-old stadium in Slubice as historically significant. It’s hard to argue their cause, as there are few stadia – not only in Poland – with a history like that.

Next year will see centenary of this project getting designed and construction works starting. Originally called the Ostmark-Stadion, it was located in south-eastern parts of Frankfurt am Oder in Germany.

Thanks to the design originating in 1914, its architecture isn’t modernistic yet, it represents a style Germans call premodernism, quite rare these days. Being opened in 1927, it went into operation just in time to see Nazis rise to power. Thus the speech of Adolf Hitler in April 1932 or NSDAP assembly in 1933.

Photo: SOSiR Słubice

As WWII ended, eastern part of Frankfurt were transferred to Poland and a new city of Slubice was created here. This didn’t mean any changes for the stadium, though. Quite literally so, because insufficient funding never allowed for a major overhaul of the complex.

Photo: Polonezcaro (cc: by)

Ironically, this allowed for the structure to be preserved to this day with very few alterations. Only minor changes took place, like individual seats being installed or enclosed away section created.

This is why two enthusiasts, Adrian Mermer and Roland Semik, started a campaign recently to safeguard the stadium’s future, by listing it as a historical monument.

They already issued a bid to regional authorities and await decision, having previously received backing of local heritage foundation Fundacja Dobro Kultury w Słubicach, the Frankfurt Viadrin University and a local community association Nasze Słubice PL. Meanwhile, our Polish version today became a media partner for the initiative. We simply think this stadium deserves it!