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Olympisch Stadion (Amsterdam)
Encyclopedia
1928 Summer Olympics
The 1928 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the IX Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1928 in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Amsterdam had bid for the 1920 and 1924 Olympic Games, but had to give way to war-victim Antwerp, Belgium, and Pierre de...
in Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
. When completed, the stadium had a capacity of 31,600. Following the completion of the rival De Kuip stadium in Rotterdam
Rotterdam
Rotterdam is the second-largest city in the Netherlands and one of the largest ports in the world. Starting as a dam on the Rotte river, Rotterdam has grown into a major international commercial centre...
in 1937, the Amsterdam authorities decided to increase the capacity of the Olympisch Stadion to 64,000 by adding a second ring to the stadium. AFC Ajax
Ajax Amsterdam
Amsterdamsche Football Club Ajax , also referred to as AFC Ajax, Ajax Amsterdam or simply Ajax , is a professional football club from Amsterdam, Netherlands...
used the Olympisch Stadion for international games until 1996, when the Amsterdam ArenA
Amsterdam ArenA
Amsterdam Arena is a stadium in Amsterdam, Netherlands. It is the largest stadium in the nation and it was built from 1993 to 1996 at a cost of €140 million, and was officially opened on 14 August 1996. It has been used for association football, American football, concerts, and other events...
was completed.
Since 2005, the stadium is home to a sports museum, the Olympic Experience Amsterdam. It is no longer used as a football stadium.
Architecture and design
The Olympisch Stadion was designed by architect Jan WilsJan Wils
Jan Wils was a Dutch architect.He was born in Alkmaar and died in Voorburg.Wils was one of the founding members of the De Stijl movement, which also included artists as Piet Mondrian, Theo van Doesburg and Gerrit Rietveld.Among others, Wils designed the Olympic stadium for the 1928 Summer Olympics...
, and is one of the finest examples of Amsterdamse School architecture, complementing the surrounding neighbourhood designed by H.P. Berlage
Hendrik Petrus Berlage
thumb|120px|left|BerlageHendrik Petrus Berlage, Amsterdam, 21 February 1856 — The Hague 12 August 1934, was a prominent Dutch architect.-Overview:...
. The design won the Olympic gold medal in the architecture competition
Art competitions at the Olympic Games
Art competitions formed part of the modern Olympic Games during its early years, from 1912 to 1952. The competitions were part of the original intention of the Olympic Movement's founder, Pierre de Frédy, Baron de Coubertin...
at the 1928 Olympics. The concrete
Concrete
Concrete is a composite construction material, composed of cement and other cementitious materials such as fly ash and slag cement, aggregate , water and chemical admixtures.The word concrete comes from the Latin word...
second ring that was added in 1937 to the north and south wing of the stadium was also designed by Jan Wils.
Development history
The original plan of Jan Wils consisted of an extension of the Harry ElteHarry Elte
Harry Elte was a Jewish-Dutch architect. His style is that of the Amsterdam School....
stadium
Old Stadion (Amsterdam)
Old Stadion , sometimes referred to as the Harry Elte Stadium , was a multi-purpose sports stadium located in Amsterdam in the Netherlands. Prior to the construction of the Olympic Stadium used for the 1928 Summer Olympics, it was the primary stadium used for the city until the 1928 Games...
that was situated next to the current Olympisch Stadion. This plan was rejected as the municipal government of Amsterdam had planned an important urban development programme in that area, and wanted to demolish the stadium as soon as possible. The second plan was almost fully executed, and consisted of a new Olympisch Stadion that was situated more westward. In January 1926, the Amsterdam municipal government, the National Olympic Committee
National Olympic Committee
National Olympic Committees are the national constituents of the worldwide Olympic movement. Subject to the controls of the International Olympic Committee, they are responsible for organizing their people's participation in the Olympic Games...
and the NV Nederlandsch Sportpark—the owner of the Harry Elte stadium—reached an agreement; after the Olympic Games of 1928, the Harry Elte stadium would be demolished and the NV Nederlandsch Sportpark would be the owner of the Olympisch Stadion. Starting in January 1926, the area in which the stadium was to be built was elevated by means of 750,000 cubic metres of sand. This phase was completed in October of that year and in the same month the construction of the pile foundation began. On 18 May 1927, the ceremonial first stone was placed by Prince Hendrik
Hendrik of Mecklenburg-Schwerin
Duke Henry of Mecklenburg-Schwerin , later Prince Henry of the Netherlands, was prince consort of the Netherlands as the husband of Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands...
. Some two million stones would follow.
Characteristics
The footballFootball at the 1928 Summer Olympics
Football at the 1928 Summer Olympics tournament, won by Uruguay against Argentina, would be the precursor to the first FIFA World Cup held in 1930 in Uruguay.-Medalists:-Background:...
pitch
Association football pitch
An association football pitch is the playing surface for the game of association football made of turf. Its dimensions and markings are defined by Law 1 of the Laws of the Game, "The Field of Play".All line markings on the pitch form part of the area which they define...
measures 114 by 75 metres. The athletics
Athletics at the 1928 Summer Olympics
At the 1928 Summer Olympics in Amsterdam, 27 athletics events were contested. The competition was held on a 400 meter track and would become the standard for athletics tracks in the future. For the first time, women's events in athletics were included in the Olympic Games program...
track around it is 8 metres wide and has a perimeter of 400 metres. The cycle track
Cycling at the 1928 Summer Olympics
The cycling competition at the 1928 Summer Olympics in Amsterdam consisted of two road cycling events and four track cycling events, all for men only...
around the athletics track was 9 metres wide had a perimeter of 500 metres. It also hosted the equestrian jumping
Equestrian at the 1928 Summer Olympics
The Equestrian Events at the 1928 Summer Olympics included Dressage, Eventing, and Show Jumping. All three disciplines had both individual and team competitions. The competitions were held from August 8, 1928 to August 12, 1928.-Medal summary:...
, field hockey
Field hockey at the 1928 Summer Olympics
The 1928 Summer Olympics saw the third Field Hockey tournament at Olympics. All games took place either in the new Olympisch Stadion or in the nearby Old Stadion. The field hockey tournament was held in the first part of this Olympic games...
, and gymnastics
Gymnastics at the 1928 Summer Olympics
At the 1928 Summer Olympics in Amsterdam, eight events in gymnastics were contested. For the first time at the Olympic Games, women competed in gymnastics. The rope climbing and sidehorse vault events were dropped from the program.-Medal summary:...
events.
The capacity of the stadium is subject to controversy as the exact capacity was kept secret to press and public during the Games to evade the remark that the stadium's capacity was only marginally bigger than the Harry Elte stadium. It is said that two configurations could be set up in the stadium; one with 21,537 seats and 12,618 standing rooms (33,255 total) and one with 16,197 seats and 25,236 standing rooms (41,433 total). After the Games the NOC admitted that the capacity of the stadium was somewhere near 31,600. Additional seats could be added on the cycle track, which would increase the capacity with 5,900.
The 1928 Olympics introduced the idea of the Olympic Flame
Olympic Flame
The Olympic Flame or Olympic Torch is a symbol of the Olympic Games. Commemorating the theft of fire from the Greek god Zeus by Prometheus, its origins lie in ancient Greece, where a fire was kept burning throughout the celebration of the ancient Olympics. The fire was reintroduced at the 1928...
. The flame burned for the first time ever in a tall tower, known as the Marathon tower, adjacent to the Olympisch Stadion. In the top of the Marathon tower, four balconies are situated which were used during the Games by horn blowers. Above these balconies four speakers from Philips
Philips
Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. , more commonly known as Philips, is a multinational Dutch electronics company....
were attached, from which results and messages were broadcasted unto the Olympic area, a novelty at the time. The bowl on top which carried the Olympic flame was known to Amsterdammers as "the ashtray of KLM pilots". A permanent Olymic flame burning during the tournament was also an Olympic first.
Renovation after being saved from demolition
In 1987 the city government announced plans to demolish the stadium. The stadium was saved, however, when it was listed as a national monument. Renovation started in 1996, and the stadium was refurbished into the original construction of 1928. The second ring of 1937 was removed, and the stadium was made suitable for track and fieldTrack and field
Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...
competitions again. The original bicycle track was also removed to enable the use of the space beneath the seats for offices. The stadium was reopened by the Prince of Orange
Willem-Alexander, Prince of Orange
Willem-Alexander, Prince of Orange is the eldest child of Queen Beatrix and Prince Claus. Since 1980 he is the heir apparent to the throne of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. He is also the head of the House of Amsberg since the death of his father in 2002. He was in military service and he studied...
on 13 May 2000.
In 2007, the area around the stadium was renovated as part of larger urban renewal project covering the entire Olympic area. North of the stadium 969 houses were completed in 2008. In the same year, the islands in the river Schinkel
Schinkel
Schinkel can refer to:* Schinkel , a river in Amsterdam* Schinkel, Schleswig-Holstein, a municipality in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany* 5297 Schinkel , a Main-belt Asteroid discovered on 1973- Family name :...
to the west of the stadium were suited with tennis fields and football pitches, an athletics track and a park. The Stadionplein square in front of the stadium is also to be renovated, which is expected to begin in 2010.
Two new bridges were also built around the stadium: to the south there is a new bridge suitable for all traffic, the Na Druk Gelukbrug, and to the Schinkel islands in the west there is a cyclists and pedestrian bridge, called Jan Wilsbrug.
Use after the Olympic Games
The stadium hosted several international matches of the Dutch national football teamNetherlands national football team
The Netherlands National Football Team represents the Netherlands in association football and is controlled by the Royal Dutch Football Association , the governing body for football in the Netherlands...
, the first one being the game against Uruguay
Uruguay national football team
The Uruguayan national football team represents Uruguay in international association football and is controlled by the Uruguayan Football Association, the governing body for football in Uruguay. The current head coach is Óscar Tabárez...
(0–2) during the Summer Olympics on 30 May 1928. The last one was a friendly on 6 September 1989 against Denmark
Denmark national football team
The Denmark national football team represents Denmark in association football and is controlled by the Danish Football Association , the governing body for the football clubs which are organized under DBU...
(0–2).
After the Olympics, the stadium was used regularly for various sporting events, including athletics, speedway
Motorcycle speedway
Motorcycle speedway, usually referred to as speedway, is a motorcycle sport involving four and sometimes up to six riders competing over four anti-clockwise laps of an oval circuit. Speedway motorcycles use only one gear and have no brakes and racing takes place on a flat oval track usually...
, field hockey
Field hockey
Field Hockey, or Hockey, is a team sport in which a team of players attempts to score goals by hitting, pushing or flicking a ball into an opposing team's goal using sticks...
and cycling
Cycling
Cycling, also called bicycling or biking, is the use of bicycles for transport, recreation, or for sport. Persons engaged in cycling are cyclists or bicyclists...
. The 1954 Tour de France
1954 Tour de France
The 1954 Tour de France was the 41st Tour de France, taking place from July 8 to August 1, 1954. It consisted of 23 stages over 4656 km, ridden at an average speed of 33.229 km/h....
, for example, started outside the stadium. However, it was football that remained the most popular. It was both the home ground of Blauw Wit
Blauw Wit
Blauw-Wit is a Dutch football club from Amsterdam. The name refers to the colours of their uniform, blue and white.Blauw-Wit was founded in 1902, as a local club in the Kinkerbuurt. From 1928 it started to play its home matches in the Olympic Stadium in Amsterdam. The club entered professional...
FC and BVC Amsterdam (later merged into FC Amsterdam
FC Amsterdam
FC Amsterdam was a Dutch football club which was founded on June 20, 1972, from the merger of the Amsterdam football clubs Blauw Wit and DWS. The club Volewijckers joined the side for the 1973-1974 season...
), while AFC Ajax
Ajax Amsterdam
Amsterdamsche Football Club Ajax , also referred to as AFC Ajax, Ajax Amsterdam or simply Ajax , is a professional football club from Amsterdam, Netherlands...
used the stadium for games in which the crowd was expected to exceed the capacity of its own De Meer Stadion
De Meer Stadion
De Meer is the name of the former stadium of AFC Ajax. It was opened in 1934 as a result of the club's former stadium being too small. Upon completion, it could hold 22,000 spectators, but accommodating up to 29,500 at its maximum...
, or for midweek games which required the use of floodlights, with which the De Meer was not initially suited. Ajax continued this arrangement until the completion of the Amsterdam ArenA
Amsterdam ArenA
Amsterdam Arena is a stadium in Amsterdam, Netherlands. It is the largest stadium in the nation and it was built from 1993 to 1996 at a cost of €140 million, and was officially opened on 14 August 1996. It has been used for association football, American football, concerts, and other events...
in 1996.
The stadium will host the 2016
2016 European Athletics Championships
The 2016 European Athletics Championships will be held in Amsterdam, Netherlands, in the summer of 2016. It will be the first time the Netherlands will host the European Athletics Championships.-External links:* *...
European Championships in Athletics
European Championships in Athletics
The European Athletics Championships is an event organized by the European Athletic Association. It is organised every four years, the same year as the Commonwealth Games and between the Summer Olympic Games cycle. After the 2010 Championships in Barcelona, the European Championships will take...
. Because of this, an athletics track was added to the plan for the nearby Park Schinkeleilanden at the last moment. The athletics track in that nearby park, which could be a warming up track when using the main track in the Olympic Stadium for racing, was opened in 2008. The stadium also serves as the start and finish of the Amsterdam Marathon
Amsterdam Marathon
The Amsterdam Marathon is an annual marathon race over the classic distance of 42.195km held in Amsterdam, the Netherlands since 1975. It is one of the top ten marathons in the world.-History:...
, held every October.
The stadium is also a tourist attraction. Tourists especially come from the Netherlands, Germany, Greece, Belgium, and Canada, and tours are available in Dutch, German, Greek, English and French.
In 1990 the Pixies recorded a video for their song Allison on the field.
Famous games
Famous games, apart from the Olympic Games, include:- 1962 European Cup final between Benfica and Real MadridReal Madrid C.F.Real Madrid Club de Fútbol , commonly known as Real Madrid, is a professional football club based in Madrid, Spain. The club have won a record 31 La Liga titles, the Primera División of the Liga de Fútbol Profesional , 18 Copas del Rey, 8 Spanish Super Cups, 1 Copa Eva Duarte and 1 Copa de la...
, ending in a 5–3 Benfica victory - Ajax's 5–1 victory over LiverpoolLiverpool F.C.Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups...
on 7 December 1966
