The Great Strahov Stadium should continue to serve sports in the future

Prague - The large Strahov stadium, owned by the capital city, is expected to continue serving sports in the future, according to the leadership of the Czech metropolis. The heritage-protected stands of the stadium could also house the Prague Museum of Memory of the 20th Century. After reconstruction, cultural events could potentially take place at the stadium, which covers an area of 63,000 square meters, said Petr Hlaváček (TOP 09), deputy mayor for urban development, to ČTK earlier. The Strahov stadium was opened on July 4, 1926, when the VIII. All-Sokol Slet took place here.

According to Jiří Uhlíř, spokesperson for the Czech Union of Sports (ČUS), until 2012, the ownership of the property in Strahov was fragmented. At that time, ČUS (formerly ČSTV) owned part of the stands at the large, or Masaryk, stadium in Strahov. Later, the stadium, with a capacity of 220,000 spectators, became the property of the capital city, and ČUS rents the spaces from Prague. By 2030, the inner spaces of the stadium are rented by the football club Sparta, said Ondřej Kasík, communications director of Sparta. Youth teams as well as the A and B teams of this club currently train at Strahov. At the stadium, which has previously hosted Sokol gatherings, Spartakiads, and concerts, Sparta began building a training center in August 2002. The construction cost 256 million Czech crowns. The area includes eight football fields and one field designated for beach volleyball.

Now the owner of the stadium, the Prague City Hall, plans to collaborate with its Institute of Planning and Development (IPR) to announce an ideational competition for the future use and design of the Strahov stadium and its surroundings. The competition proposals should thus outline a new design for the adjacent student dormitories and the stadiums of Evžen Rošický and Friendship, which are owned by the Football Association of the Czech Republic (FAČR). According to a statement by Deputy Hlaváček in April, the competition could take place by the end of the electoral term in 2022.

In recent years, there has been speculation about whether the city should sell the Strahov stadium. The reason was that the reconstruction of the sports facility, which is necessary due to its condition, would be very expensive. Previously, Prague councilor Jan Chabr (TOP 09) stated that the repair of the stadium, which is in poor condition, could roughly cost 1.2 billion Czech crowns. Deputy Hlaváček denied that the city leadership was considering the sale. According to previous media reports, groups such as Penta, J&T, CPI, and Accolade had expressed interest in the possibility of buying part of the stadium or the entire complex.

The stadium was built on land bounded by the present-day streets Athletic and Vaníčkova for the purpose of holding all-Sokol gatherings in 1926, according to the design of architect Alois Dryák. At that time, the sports facility had a sandy exercise area, earthen mounds, and wooden stands for spectators. The stadium has been expanded several times since then. For example, the western stand was built from 1932-1938 according to the designs of architects Ferdinand Balcárek and Karel Kopp, and the entire complex was completed from 1960-1975 for the needs of national Spartakiads. The first national Spartakiad took place here in 1955 as a celebration of the tenth anniversary of the end of World War II. The last Spartakiad was held in 1985. After the fall of communism, the area hosted concerts of world stars and several exhibition events, among other activities.