Talking about Barcelona’s stadium, we want to mention not just one but two famous stadiums: the multi-sport stadium Estadio Olímpico Lluís Companys, which was the main arena of the 1992 Summer Olympic Games, and of course Camp Nou, which has become a place of tourist pilgrimage.
Located on the Montjuïc hill the Olympic Stadium named after Lewis Kompanis was built back in 1927. It was named after the President of Catalonia, who was in power during the Civil War. In 1936, in connection with Barcelona’s bid to host the Summer Games of that year, the stadium was awarded the title of Olympic Stadium. It is worth noting that at the time of the 1992 Olympic Games, the capacity of the stadium was increased from 55,926 seats to 70,000. To the right of the stadium is the Olympic and Sports Museum.
However, the popularity of the Olympic Stadium can hardly be compared to another famous stadium in Barcelona, Camp Nou, which attracts tourists from all over the world.
The Camp Nou stadium was designed by architect Francesc Mithans. It opened in 1957 and since then the stadium has been owned by FC Barcelona, whose first official name was Estadi del FC Barcelona (“Stadium of FC Barcelona”). Incidentally, an alternative name in honor of the founder of FC Hans Gamper was proposed for consideration. However, at that time the familiar name of Camp Nou, which translates as “New Ground”, was already stuck to the new building. That is how the Catalans began to call the stadium since its opening. Officially, the name Camp Nou was assigned to the stadium only in 2000.
Camp Nou has been rebuilt several times. In 1981, on the eve of the 1982 FIFA World Cup, the capacity of the stadium was increased to 120,000 seats. In 1998 due to new regulations introduced by UEFA, which required all seats in the stadium to be seated, Camp Nou’s capacity was reduced to 98,934 spectators. Work is currently underway to rebuild the stadium to celebrate its fiftieth anniversary.
Today, Camp Nou is the highest capacity stadium in all of Europe, with a capacity of 99,354 spectators. UEFA rates Camp Nou with five stars. The stadium houses the Barcelona management office and the official employee center of FC Barcelona, as well as the museum of the legendary Barça.
By the way, the FC Barcelona museum is the most visited museum in the Catalan capital.
It is not surprising. The museum vault, founded a month before the beginning of the XX century by the father of FC Barcelona Hans Gamper, has collected under its roof all the trophies of the soccer legend. Among the museum’s awards is the Champions Cup, won at the historic Wembley. The only exception is the Intercontinental Cup, which was not included in the museum’s collection. In addition to the winning trophies the museum houses pictures of matches and records of goals scored by FC Barcelona, and even personal belongings of the players – jerseys and boots.
And, by the way, when you are hungry at Camp Nou stadium, you can eat local hot dogs without risking your health, surprisingly they are very tasty there.