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 Walter-Ulbricht-Stadion in August 1951. | |
 Interactive map of Stadion der Weltjugend | |
| Former names | Walter-Ulbricht-Stadion (1950–1973) |
|---|---|
| Location |  East Germany,East Berlin |
| Capacity | 70,000 (1950–1973) 50,000 (1973–1992) |
| Construction | |
| Opened | 20 May 1950 |
| Renovated | 1972–1973 |
| Closed | 1992 |
| Architect | Selman Selmanagić Reinhard Lingner |
| Tenants | |
| SC Dynamo Berlin (1954–1955, 1956-1961) FDGB-Pokal Final (1950, 1975 to 1989) World Festival of Youth and Students (1951 and 1973) 13 matches ofEast Germany football team | |
Stadion der Weltjugend was a multi-usestadium in the locality ofMitte in the eponymousborough ofMitte inBerlin,Germany. It was inaugurated on 20 May 1950 by the First Secretary of theSocialist Unity Party,Walter Ulbricht for the first "Deutschlandtreffen" ("German Festival") of theFree German Youth.[1] The stadium was named after Walter Ulbricht. In thevernacular of Berlin, the stadium was later calledZickenwiese after Ulbricht'sbeard.[2]
The Walter-Ulbricht-Stadion had a capacity of 70,000 spectators and was complemented by several further football pitches, tennis courts and athletic fields. It was the largest stadium in East Germany at its opening. The stadium was a site of the3rd World Festival of Youth and Students in 1951. The stadium was redeveloped ahead of the10th World Festival of Youth and Students in 1973, together with theFriedrich-Ludwig-Jahn-Sportpark. The redevelopment included the installation of seating, which reduced the capacity to 50,000. The redeveloped stadium was then also renamed to Stadion der Weltjugend ("Stadium of the World Youth").
The Walter Ulbricht-Stadion was the home ground of the football team ofSC Dynamo Berlin until September 1961.[nb 1] It was also the venue for theFDGB-Pokal (East German cup) final in 1951 and from 1975 to 1989. TheEast Germany national football team played 13 times at the stadium. The stadium was used for all matches in thederby betweenBFC Dynamo and1. FC Union Berlin for security reasons from 1976 to 1989.
The stadium was bordered by theChausseestraße on the east, by the Habersaathstraße (known as Kesselstraße until 1951) on the south and residential areas on Scharnhorststraße and Boyenstraße on the north and west respectively. The Scharnhorststraßeheating plant (German:Heizwerk Scharnhorststraße) (de) with its 150-meter chimney was located right next to the western curve of the stadium. The stadium was initially served by theSchwartzkopffstraße U-Bahn stadion. The station was renamed Walter-Ulbricht-Stadion after the stadium in 1951. The Walter-Ulbricht-Stadion U-bahn station was closed after the construction of theBerlin Wall in 1961. The station was renamed Stadion der Weltjugend after the stadium was renamed in 1973.
The stadium was demolished in 1992 in preparation for the construction of a new arena for the2000 Summer Olympics. As Berlin failed in the bidding process, the area remained abandoned. The construction of the newheadquarters of the Federal Intelligence Service began on the site in 2006.
52°31′59.06″N13°22′35.70″E / 52.5330722°N 13.3765833°E /52.5330722; 13.3765833