The most “German” stadium is, of course, in Germany! What does “the most German” mean? It’s simple, it is, in our opinion, the highest quality, most pragmatic and most efficient soccer stadium in the world! The arena, which embodies all those qualities for which Germans are famous! This is the Allianz Arena Munich!
It should be noted that this architectural object is not only embodies the above-described qualities of the German character, but also the most advanced engineering solutions and construction technologies.
History of the home ground of German soccer and world soccer Grandee, Bayern Munich, began in 2001, when the pedantic Germans held a city referendum on the need for the arena! The people of Munich, famous for their love of sports in general and soccer in particular, responded in agreement – two-thirds of those who voted said, “Yes! A new arena – to be!”
Construction started in 2002 and was completed in 2005. But it is true that it was not without a scandal. A number of officials and top managers who managed the project were found guilty of bribery! As a result, Carl-Heinz Wildmoser Jr. received a sentence of 4.5 years for taking a bribe of 3.8 million US dollars!
Despite this episode, the arena was successfully completed and opened its doors to the public on 30 May 2005, when the opening match between Munich 1860 and Nürnberg took place at the Allianz Arena (the home team won 3-2).
Originally, the Allianz Arena was jointly owned by two local clubs, Bayern Munich and the already mentioned Munich 1860. Teams, as before, hold their home matches here, but today only Bayern is the sole owner of the stadium!
Speaking about the architectural features of this facility, the first thing that comes to mind is the shape and covering of the building! The stadium is a giant cocoon, consisting of 2,760 cushions made of high-tech material ethylfluorethylene, and filled with dry air! An innovative lighting system allows the entire building to be colored in red, blue and white as well as their shades and combinations. An interesting fact is that originally the idea of creators, the stadium for a particular game was supposed to glow with a combination of corporate colors, playing on that day! But because of the increasing frequency of accidents in the stadium area, the authorities have ordered to use only one color (at a time) and to alternate the colors not earlier than once every half an hour.
The inside of the stadium has several levels and can seat 71,137 spectators! Numerous stores, restaurants and the FC Bayern Munich Museum are on the ground floor. There are also two kindergartens, where you can leave your child while his parents cheer for their favorite team! The transport problem is solved here meticulously and efficiently. Next to the arena there is a crossing of two city motorways and a metro line with exits to the stadium and a four-story parking lot for 9,800 cars (one of the largest in Europe). In addition to the parking there is a giant parking lot in front of the arena with separate spaces for buses with fans.
The cost of construction of the stadium was $ 460 million, while another $ 284 million was spent by the city on developing the infrastructure and utility systems. Speaking of “efficiency,” credit resources for the stadium were allocated for a couple of decades. So, taking into account the efficiency of the arena in particular and the club in general, the final repayment of loans will take place 10 years earlier than planned.
The stadium referred to the 4th (the highest) category according to UEFA and can host any soccer championship on the planet! And it periodically does – matches of the World Cup 2006 and the final of the Champions League season 2011/12 have already been held here.