In 2022, a stadium design was chosen to provide regional football clubs with a modern sports facility suitable for second and third division German matches. The investment plan includes demolishing the existing Jahnsportpark and building a new arena. However, opposition to the disappearance of the old stadium is growing.

Time for something new

The project focuses on the demolition of Friedrich-Ludwig-Jahn-Sportpark, which was inaugurated in 1952. During the GDR era, the facility played an important role in East Berlin, hosting teams such as Dynamo, the GDR national team, and several national cup finals. After German reunification, the venue did not have a permanent tenant, but it hosted matches for teams such as Union, Hertha, Berliner AK 07, Turkiyemspor Berlin, and Dynamo.

The new stadium will have a capacity of 20,000 seats, making it the third-largest stadium in Berlin after the Olympic Stadium and Alten Försterei. The complex will also include additional football pitches, beach volleyball courts, tennis courts, and a multifunctional hall. A community center will also be built.

Petition has been created**

Architects and cultural historians are trying to prevent the planned demolition of the stadium in September. The venue is considered a unique monument of Eastern modernism, said architect Friedrich Tuczek from the University of Applied Sciences in Erfurt in an interview with Tagesspiegel: We are therefore calling on the Berlin Senate to immediately halt demolition plans and make the decision to renovate the stadium.

The demolition would not only be a loss from an architectural and historical perspective but would also erase the historical significance of the site. A special petition has been launched, which has been signed by almost 9,000 people so far. Criticism of the demolition has also emerged in local politics. It is said that the costs of the planned new facility have risen by 70% to €188 million. The modernization was planned many years ago, and the venue was supposed to be completed as an inclusive sports park for the 2023 Special Olympics World Games. The completion of the work is now scheduled for the third quarter of 2027.