81 359 people - this is the capacity of the stadium “Borussia” (Dortmund), Germany’s largest football arena and the seventh in Europe.
If the inhabitants of Dortmund were told 40 years ago that a football “temple” would appear in the city center for more than 80 thousand spectators, equipped with a glass facade, heated lawn and the largest tribune in Europe, they would only politely smile at such a bizarre idea. Today, the Borussia stadium (Dortmund), the photo of which is given later in the article, is the largest football arena in Germany that can accommodate a huge number of fans. In the 2004-05 season. he set an average attendance record by accepting 1.354 million people. In the 2011-12 season, the stadium beat him, accommodating a total of 1.37 million spectators.
The cost of the huge construction almost knocked down the football club financially, but this is another story, which, fortunately, was decided at the end of May 2006.
Permanent Modernization
The facility is located on the Strobel Alley and is known as a “temple” among fans. It is regularly called the press, professionals and VIPs the most beautiful stadium in the country. This is one of the largest and most comfortable football arenas in Europe after the completion of the third phase of its expansion.
The long process of construction and conversion reached its peak when the Borussia home stadium (Dortmund) was reconstructed before the 2006 World Cup.
Work was carried out every summer, and the BVB club invested several tens of millions of euros in the reconstruction of the old arena in 2012: the grass and drainage of the southern half of the field were replaced; the southern stand is strengthened; serious sanitary measures have been taken in the northern part; in the part of the eastern tribune where the press corner was located, several new VIP boxes were added; the new cameras, armed with impressive digital technologies, provided a higher degree of protection, and the exit area and the lower tier of the south stand received an enhanced surveillance system. And a year before, three new 48 square-meter boards decorated the Borussia stadium (Dortmund).
The history of the football "temple"
"Westfalenstadion" counts from 04/05/1965. After a four-year discussion of the modernization of the somewhat outdated Rote Erde arena (the former Borussia stadium, Dortmund, whose name is translated as “red land”), the city’s central and financial committees decided not to expand it, but instead to build a new one using two western training fields and a small area. Thus, the first step was taken towards the creation of a completely new structure, which received the nickname "Twin Stadium", as it was built in parallel with Rote Erde.
Official opening
The project did not gain momentum until in the early 1970s, Cologne decided not to build a new stadium, thereby allowing Dortmund to become the capital of the 1974 World Cup and build a new football arena. Without federal and state funding, the appearance of Westfalenstadion would have been impossible.
04/02/1974, nine years after the official decision was made, Westfalenstadion was officially opened with 54,000 mostly standing places. The grand opening was accompanied by a friendly meeting against the Schalke 04 team. And the stadium of Borussia (Dortmund) after that did not lose its aura. Quite the contrary. Radio commentators, speaking of this unique arena, called it the "German Football Temple." The proximity to the field, the acoustics created by the full roof, and the unique passion of the Ruhr fans for a beautiful game created a magical atmosphere that enchanted the audience and inspired fear in the opponents.
A public opinion poll in May 2006 showed that professional football players from 18 Bundesliga clubs named the arena in Hamburg and the Borussia stadium (Dortmund) as their favorite field.
Sports Committee Decision
To be precise, the history of Signal Iduna Park dates back to 1961. It was then that the Sports Committee first discussed the expansion of the Rote Erde Arena. In those days, which were characterized by structural changes in the Ruhr and the onset of the crisis in the coal and steel industries, money was no less a problem than today. This allows us to explain why ten years passed before the city council decided on the construction of the Westfalenstadion on 10/04/71. But there was no money then either.
In 1966, the German Football Union claimed the right to host the 1974 World Cup, but Dortmund’s plans to build a new stadium for a standard project worth thirty million euros threatened to be frustrated. Despite the council’s decision, in an attempt to cut costs, executive bodies were still exploring the possibility of expanding the existing arena.
Canadian pattern
Erich RĂĽttel, head of the sports department, was successful in his proposal to build a stadium on the model of the Canadian Olympic village in Montreal using prefabricated construction methods. It was a decisive breakthrough. The costs were halved, while the costs of the initial negotiations were estimated at 27 million marks (almost 14 million euros). By the end of construction, costs rose by seven million marks.
Just five months later, on 10/19/70, the city council gave the green light to the plans and decided to begin the construction of Westfalenstadion next year. More than 80% of the EUR 17 million was funded by the state, lottery and donations. The city allocated three million marks, realizing that in 1974 the World Cup would give him an unprecedented chance to build a suitable arena - without the World Cup there would be no funding. In the end, the temporary stand in the southern part of Rote Erde began to collapse, and, according to an internal document of the planning committee, after its dismantling, the total capacity of the structure was to be reduced to 25,000 seats.
The Borussia Stadium (Dortmund), on the other hand, was supposed to host 56,000 fans. In fact, there were about 54 thousand, of which only 17,000 seats had seats. The fact that most of the spectators (47,000) will be protected by the roof received special praise from the then president of the BVB club, Heinz Gunther. The stadium offered the "average layman" a roof over his head, which at that time was not in the order of things.
On the wave of success
Scotland, Zaire, Brazil, the Netherlands and Sweden played the 1974 World Cup group stage matches at Westfalenstadion, and football fever swept Dortmund.
During these international competitions, the enthusiasm that was present between the 50s and 60s returned to the city, and soon it could be felt at the meetings of the teams of the second echelon of the Bundesliga. Regular attendance reached 45,000 fans - three times more than before at Rote Erde. The flow of spectators significantly contributed to the development of the club. Two years later, in June 1976, Borussia returned to the top division of the Bundesliga. In 1983, the club celebrated its return to European tournaments after a 15-year hiatus. Black and Yellow won the German Cup in 1989, the German Championship in 1995, 1996 and 2002, and reached the European finals three times, winning one of them - the most important meeting in the 1997 UEFA Champions League match against the Italian Juventus.
Big changes
The entire 18-year period until 1992, the stadium "Borussia" (Dortmund) basically remained in its original condition. However, the 14 years that followed were marked by dramatic changes, of which there were a total of five. The capacity of the stadium in 1992 was reduced to 42,800 spectators when seats on the North Stand were equipped with seats. In addition, the capacity of the Western and Eastern stands was increased by 6 thousand seats due to the addition of the upper tier three years later.
The second stage of expansion allowed in 1999 to increase the capacity of the stadium to 68,600 seats, when the South Stand, the base for the local football fans of Dortmund, was increased to 24,454 seats, making it the largest in Europe. For international meetings, standing places can be converted into seats.
May 6, 2002, finally, work began on shelter and expansion of the corner zones of the stadium. Firstly, in the north and south, 15-meter-high piles were driven into the ground in corners, which later became stairs and redirected the enormous load of 3 thousand tons that the roof had on the podium. Another challenging engineering task was the construction of the roof. As part of this process, the corner pylons that supported the roof and therefore interfered with spectators sitting in new seats in the extended area were replaced with eight yellow-painted external steel pylons.
The third stage of modernization was completed on September 13, 2003 and not only increased the capacity of the sports venue by 14 thousand seats. The new Borussia stadium (Dortmund) has raised hospitality standards. With 3450 seats in catering establishments, Signal Iduna Park has become a leader in the German Bundesliga by this indicator. Despite this, the share of such establishments amounted to a modest percentage of the total capacity of the football arena.
What is the name of the stadium "Borussia" (Dortmund)?
Eight yellow pylons have become an important attraction of the city skyline. In December 2005, they were joined by letters with the name of the football arena, each of which is 3.5 m in height. The inscription is visible from the main highways B54 and B1, black during the day and glowing in white at night. The Borussia Stadium (Dortmund) received the English name Signal Iduna Park as a result of the sale of its rights from 2005 to 2021 to the Signal Iduna Group insurance company. Prior to this, the football arena was called Westfalenstadion in honor of the former Prussian province of Westphalia, which became part of the land of the Federal Republic of Germany North Rhine-Westphalia.
The fruits of reconstruction
After the expansion, BVB club fans proudly hosted their “soccer temple." And record numbers of attendance in recent years confirm this. Breathtaking construction work and phenomenal fans have made the largest arena in the Bundesliga the perfect venue for many great football shows. To be precise, after the reconstruction, the capacity of the Borussia stadium (Dortmund) was 81,359 spectators. And this is taking into account the dismantling of the last seats of 1974 and the demolition of the front sections, as well as modernization work carried out before the 2012-13 season.
Over the years, only one footballer has had negative experience in the “temple” on Strobel Alley. 04/23/1977 a player of the Braunschweig team Danilo Popivoda, who was naked just six meters from the Borussia goal, lifted his foot to hit the ball and slipped on a piece of turf generously fertilized with earthworms. He landed on his nose, and the ball stopped in front of the goal line. Then the meeting ended in a draw.
How to get to Signal Iduna Park?
The stadium is located in the southern part of Dortmund, next to the Westfalenhallen conference center. The city center and main train station are about 3 km away. You can get to Signal Iduna Park from the B1 highway (from the north, east and west) or B54 (from the south). If you go along B1, then you should go to Im-Rabenleh Street. The stadium is located a few hundred meters to the south. If you get along the B54 highway, you need to turn onto An der BushmĂĽhl and go east, turn to Strobel Alley, and then follow directly to the football arena.
It can also be easily reached by train from the main train station. The composition will reach the Borussia stadium (Dortmund) in just 5 minutes: you need to get to the Signal Iduna Park station, from where you can walk to the football arena in a few minutes. Trains, as a rule, run 3-4 times per hour.
Alternatively, you can take the subway in the city center and get off at Westfalenhallen station, a 5-minute walk from the sports facility. The route is served by the 45th and 46th lines. On match days, you can drive to the Stadium station, which is even closer to the destination. In addition, Signal Iduna Park is a short walk from Theodor-Flidner-Heim Station, located on the 42nd subway line.
Dining and overnight near Signal Iduna Park
The stadium is located next to the Westfalenhallen conference center, so there are quite a few hotels near it. The Mercure Dortmund Messe is located directly opposite Signal Iguna Park and has a good reputation. Grand Hotel Arcadia and Steinberger are also good options. The estimated fee is around EUR 100 per night. And the Guildenhof hotel can offer cheaper options.
The stadium is located near the center of Dortmund. This is not the most interesting city, but there is more entertainment than in the vicinity of the football arena, and there you can find cheaper hotels.
How to buy tickets?
Tickets for the Borussia stadium (Dortmund) are recommended by fans to buy reviews online, by phone, at the Signal Iguna Park box office or at any of the city's points of sale. The success of the club allowed him to sell almost all the places for matches immediately after they went on sale. Therefore, it is recommended that you carefully plan everything and make a purchase immediately after the announcement of the start of implementation. In rare cases, when tickets remain unsold, they can be purchased at the box office of the stadium 4.5 hours before the start of the match. Their cost varies from € 31.20 per seat in the upper corners to € 54.40 for central seats in the main podium. A ticket to the south side, where you have to stand the whole game, will cost 16.70 €. The price increases by 20% for games against Schalke and Bavaria.
Signal Iduna Park Tours
The award-winning football club organizes walking tours that include dressing rooms, a tunnel for players, VIP and mixed zones - they allow you to make your own opinion about what constitutes the stadium "Borussia" (Dortmund).
The history of the club and its trophies will be presented to visitors at the Borusseum Museum. The tour lasts about 90 minutes or 120 in the extended version, which includes a visit to the South rostrum. Tours are usually held 2-3 times a day, usually at 12:00, 14:00 and 16:00, but the schedule varies depending on the season. There are additional weekend excursions, including one English-language tour. Tours are not held on match days.
Borusseum is open daily from 10am to 6pm. Tickets can be purchased online, at the museum or at any other point of sale in the Dortmund area, as well as immediately before the start of the tour. The size of the group is limited - up to 40 people, and therefore it is recommended to arrive early. The tour costs € 12.00, including a visit to the museum.