Donauparkstadion – historical stadium description

When was the former Donauparkstadion built?

In 1934, a football team was founded at the tobacco factory in Linz. At the time, the team played under the name SV Tabakfabrik Linz, later to be known as SV Austria Tabak. The team initially played its matches on the pitch of ASK Rapid Linz (forerunner of ESV Westbahn Linz) on Hafenstraße.

Soon, however, the team wanted to have its own pitch. An area on the banks of the Danube, next to the railway bridge (now a road bridge), which belonged to a tobacco factory, was suitable for it. After difficult negotiations with the factory management, the footballers obtained permission to create a football pitch at the chosen location, which was built in 1935.

What was the history of the Donauparkstadion?

At the beginning of the Second World War, the pitch was taken over by the Kriegsmarine for its own use and the football team suspended its activities, only to be resumed in 1949. At the beginning of 1952, modernisation of the facility began, a new club building was constructed and the pitch was turned 90 degrees. The work was largely undermined by the flood of 1954, but on July 9, 1955, the renovated facility was officially opened.

In 1992, the club received financial support from the Upper Austrian authorities, the city, the Upper Austrian Football Association and the ASVÖ to modernise its stadium. With the aid, which totalled 3 million shillings, a covered stand and floodlights were built. The work was completed in 1994, in time for the club's 60th anniversary, although the jubilee was celebrated elsewhere, at Chemie-Platz.

In 1997, SV Austria Tabak merged with FC Linz to form FC Blau-Weiß Linz. The stadium, previously known as Tabak-Sportplatz, was renamed Donauparkstadion (in reference to the nearby boulevards known as Donaulände or Donaupark).

In 2011, FC Blau-Weiß was promoted to the second level of the league competition. The modest Donauparkstadion could not host matches at this level, so the team moved to the much larger Linzer Stadion.

What did the former Donauparkstadion look like?

The covered stand of the former Donauparkstadion had three rows, offering about 400 seats for spectators. On the other sides, fans were able to gather around the playing field; it is estimated that the total capacity of the stadium was around 2,000 people.

When was the new Donauparkstadion built?

In 2019, plans were made to redevelop the Linzer Stadion into a football-specific facility, which was to primarily serve the players of the Linzer ASK (LASK) club. In connection with these plans, the city and Upper Austrian authorities also pledged to help build a new stadium for FC Blau-Weiß to replace the old Donauparkstadion.

Thanks to an agreement with the furniture retail chain XXXLutz, which was about to build its new store alongside, it was decided that the new Donauparkstadion would be connected to the furniture warehouse and actually be constructed on its roof, taking inspiration from the FK Voždovac stadium from Belgrade, built on the roof of a shopping center.

On September 16, 2021, a ceremony took place at Donauparkstadion to symbolically inaugurate the construction of the new facility. The old stadium was demolished at the end of the year, after which the actual construction work began. Construction went according to plan and the new facility was ready in the summer of 2023.

What does the new Donauparkstadion look like?

A presentation of the new Donauparkstadion can be seen on a separate subpage

The new Donauparkstadion (for sponsorship reasons, Hofmann Personal Stadion) was officially inaugurated on July 5, 2023. The facility is incomparably larger and more modern than the former arena, and is characterised by the fact that it sits on the roof of a furniture warehouse. Compared to its predecessor, the pitch has been rotated by 90 degrees. The covered stands hold 5,595 spectators. The stadium has VIP areas as well as skyboxes and meets UEFA Category 3 requirements.