Millerntor-Stadion Hamburg Germany - Football Ground

Millerntor-Stadion, Hamburg, Germany

Capacity: 32000

Weather Report

Millerntor-Stadion History

Heiligengeistfeld's first sports field was built on a simple level ground after World War I. It was the home ground of St. Pauli TV and other workers' sports associations (Arbeitersportkartelles). In 1946, the club (now called FC St. Pauli) built its stadium partly on the original site of the Hamburg Observatory, which was built in 1802 by Johann Georg Repsold and moved to Bergedorf in 1912. The stadium was located on Heiligengeistfeld, opposite the old firestation[5] and on the corner between Gleichhaussee and Budapester Strasse (renamed Ernst Thälmann Strasse from 1946 to 1956).[6] In a city devastated by World War II, the stadium was built thanks to the help of fans and club members. However, the stadium did not last long as it had to be demolished in 1961. This was due to the 1963 IGA (International Garden Exhibition)[7] in Hamburg and parts of the Planten und Bloemen park were built on this site. (Today this site is used as the northern entrance to the U-Bahn-station St. Pauli.) As a result, the club had to find a new stadium and construction of the Millerntor-Stadion began in 1961. The new stadium opened in 1963, but was initially delayed due to the lack of a drainage system, which made the field unplayable after rain. The new stadium had a capacity of 32,000 spectators, but this was later reduced to 20,629 for safety reasons.[8] The Millerntor-Stadion has undergone several changes over the years, the most important of which was the construction of a temporary seating area on the back straight, which enabled promotion to the Bundesliga in 1988. This temporary sector remained in use until May 2012, when the entire previous straight line was demolished.