National Stadium, Warsaw

The PGE Narodowy (official name since 2015) or National Stadium (Polish: Stadion Narodowy [ˈstadʲɔn narɔˈdɔvɨ]) is a retractable roof football stadium located in Warsaw, Poland. It is used mostly for football matches and is the home stadium of Poland national football team.

National Stadium in Warsaw
Stadion Narodowy w Warszawie
Full namePGE Narodowy
Locational. Zieleniecka 1, Warsaw, Poland[1]
Coordinates52°14′22″N 21°02′44″E
Public transit Stadion Narodowy
Warszawa Stadion
OwnerState Treasury
OperatorPL.2012+
Executive suites69
Capacity58,580 (official)
56,826 (UEFA capacity)[2]
72,900 (concerts)
Record attendance61,500[3][4]
2014 FIVB Volleyball Men's World Championship
Poland 3–0 Serbia, August 30, 2014
Field size105 m × 68 m (344 ft × 223 ft)
SurfaceGrass
Field
Construction
Broke ground2008
Built2008–2011
OpenedJanuary 29, 2012
Construction costc.1.91 billion PLN
( ≈0.43 billion)
ArchitectJSK Architekci [leader], gmp - Architects von Gerkan, Marg and Partners, sbp[5]
Project managerMarkus Pfisterer
Martin Hakiel
Martin Glass
Mariusz Rutz
Zbigniew Pszczulny
Marcin Chruslinski
Structural engineerSchlaich Bergermann & Partner
Tenants
Poland national football team
Website
stadionnarodowy.org.pl

With a seating capacity of 58,580, the stadium is the largest association football arena in Poland. Its construction was started in 2008 and was finished in November 2011. It is located on the site of the former 10th-Anniversary Stadium, on Aleja Zieleniecka in Praga Południe district, near the city center. The stadium has a retractable PVC roof which unfolds from a nest on a spire suspended above the centre of the pitch.[6] The retractable roof is inspired by the cable-supported unfolding system of Commerzbank-Arena in Frankfurt, Germany, and is similar to the newly renovated roof of BC Place in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The stadium is also very similar to the Arena Națională in Bucharest in terms of age, capacity and the roof.

The National Stadium hosted the opening match (a group match), the 2 group matches, a quarterfinal, and the semifinal of the UEFA Euro 2012, co-hosted by Poland and Ukraine.

The stadium is equipped with a heated pitch, training pitch, façade lighting, and underground parking. It is a multipurpose venue that is able to host sporting events, concerts, cultural events, and conferences. The official stadium opening took place on 19 January 2012, and the first football match was played on 29 February 2012. The match between the Polish national football team and the Portuguese national football team ended with a 0–0 draw.[7]

The stadium hosted the 2014–15 UEFA Europa League final.

Stadium specifics

Construction and architecture

Night illumination of the stadium façade after opening match between Poland and Portugal on 29 February 2012

The general contractor of the National Stadium was a German-Austrian-Polish consortium led by Alpine Bau and made up of Alpine Bau Deutschland, Alpine Construction Poland, PBG SA and Hydrobudowa Poland SA. The completion date was set for 24 months from the signing of the contract and the construction process involved approximately 1,200 employees.[8]

The stadium has a capacity of 58,580 seats for spectators during football matches and up to 72,900 during concerts and other events (including 106 sites for disabled people). The total volume of the stadium (without the roof) is more than 1,000,000 m² and the total area is 204,000 m². The retractable roof structure is 240 × 270 m and the central spire stands at a height of 124 metres above the River Vistula and 100 m above the pitch. The total length of the lower promenade is 924 meters. The stadium has the largest conference center in Warsaw with a capacity of 1600 people including 25,000 m² of commercial office space. Underground parking for 1765 cars is located beneath the pitch. The stadium contains restaurants, a fitness club, a pub, and 69 luxury skyboxes.[9]

The crown of National Stadium with red and white façade resembling Polish national colors

The National Stadium is a multi-sports facility that allows for the organization of sporting events, concerts and cultural events. In addition, it will also serve as an office, market place, hotel, gastronomic point and have other uses. As a result, it is expected that about 2000 to 3000 people will visit the stadium every single day.[10]

Facade

The stadium's façade refers to the Polish national colors, resembling a waving Flag of Poland and it consists of silver and red colors. The same palette was used to color the stadium's seating. The facade which consists of painted mesh that was imported from Spain, covers the inner aluminum and glass elevation. The stadium is an open structure, which means the lack of a closed facade, so the temperature inside is similar to the environmental temperature, despite the closed roof construction. Such a construction allows for natural ventilation of rooms placed under the stands and access to natural light.[11]

Tip-up standard stadium seats, type: FCB in red and silver colors

Elevations are stretched on a powerful construction of the pipes that were manufactured in Italy. This structure is completely independent from the concrete stand construction and it is fundamental to the retractable stadium's roof. Thanks to this, designers could freely design the space under the stands.

The pitch

The stadium is equipped with a heated pitch. The pitch is installed with a lawn of Dutch grass, cultivated in Heythuysen, the Netherlands.[12][13] During the organization of events such as concerts, the pitch will be covered with special panel, which must be removed within 5 days of its installation. A second option: to install a grass field on a special floating platform, was discarded due to it being too expensive.

The grandstands

The National Stadium was designed by the German-Polish consortium gmp Architects von Gerkan, Marg and Partners, J.S.K Architekci Sp. z o.o. and sbp—schlaich bergermann und partner (the design by Volkwin Marg and Hubert Nienhoff with Markus Pfisterer, Zbigniew Pszczulny, Mariusz Rutz, Marcin Chruslinski).

The structure is composed of two-level stands—top and bottom—with a capacity for 58,580 spectators. All seating in the National Stadium was provided by Polish company Forum Seating (part of the Nowy Styl Group located in Krosno).[14] There are 900 seats for media and press, more than 4,600 so-called "premium seats", designed for special guests, 106 seats for disabled people and more than 800 seats in the VIP lodges.

The unique retractable roof membrane during the process of opening

Under the stands, there are changing rooms, conference halls and living areas with a total area of 130 000 m². The building has eight stories with varied heights. The highest point at the stands, is located 41 meters above the former 10th-Anniversary Stadium pitch, while the highest point of the steel roof structure is 70 meters above that level. The roof can cover not only the stands, but also the pitch.[15]

Retractable roof

Partially transparent, the retractable roof was made of fibreglass covered with teflon. This kind of material is resistant to weather factors (rain, the heat of the sun, and can hold up to 18 cm of wet snow) and the crease tendency. The production technology comes from German company Hightex GmbH, and the textile was produced in Bangkok by the Asia Membrane Co. Ltd.[16]

The process of opening or closing the roof takes about 20 minutes and it can only be performed at temperatures above 5 °C and not during rain (this was the reason for a one-day postponement of the football match against England on 16 October 2012). A drive system is used for stretching the membrane during the process of opening and for folding the material during the process of closing the roof. The total weight of the steel-cables supporting the roof structure is 1,200 tons. Under the roof there are four LED display screens, each with an area of 200 m².

Construction history

Preparations

Night view of the National Stadium and the Świętokrzyski Bridge from the left bank of the Vistula

On 1 February 2008, the consortium of JSK Architects Ltd., GMP—von Gerkan, Marg und Partner Architekten and SBP—Schleich Bergermann und Partner presented a conceptual design (visualization and scale model) of a new stadium.[17]

The first pre-construction work began on 15 May 2008 when 126 concrete piles were driven into the soil of the basin of the old stadium's grandstand. On 18 June 2008, the National Sports Centre Ltd submitted documents required to obtain a construction permit from the governor of Masovia.[17] This was approved on 22 July 2008, and on 26 September 2008, an agreement with Pol-Aqua SA to implement the first stage of construction work was signed. A few days later, on 7 October 2008, the construction of the stadium began.

On the construction site, close to the National Sports Centre, an outdoor webcam was installed. Broadcasting started on 31 October 2008 and people could track the progress of construction. Since the start of the second stage of construction on 29 June 2009, the entire process was also viewable from a second camera installed on a tower at Washington Roundabout. Images from the cameras are still available on the official websites of the stadium.

Main process

National Stadium as it is seen from aleja Józefa Poniatowskiego in September 2012

The first stage of construction included the demolition of concrete structures of the 10th-Anniversary Stadium, preparation of the ground, driving about 7000 concrete piles into the soil, construction of 6700 gravel and concrete columns, and the building of approximately 900 construction piles that now form the foundation of the stadium.[18]

On 9 March 2009 the pile driving process was completed, and exactly one month later, opening of the offers from companies wishing to implement the second stage of the stadium construction took place. The best offer was introduced by German-Austrian-Polish consortium of companies - Alpine Bau Deutschland AG, Alpine Bau GmbH and Alpine Construction Poland Ltd., Hydrobudowa Poland SA and PBG SA and it was worth 1 252 755 008.64 .

At the end of September, the first construction elements were visible from outside the stadium. The cornerstone (foundation stone) and a time capsule were set during the ceremony held on 7 October 2009. The time capsule contained flags of Poland, the European Union and the city of Warsaw, newspapers of the day, coins, banknotes, and other artifacts.[19]

At the end of January, the first element of the roof structure arrived at the construction site.[20] This element was 1 of 72 that became part of the massive steel roof structure. Each of them weighs about 48 tons and is 12.5 meters tall. The completion of installation of all prefabricated elements took place by 13 August 2010, which represented the entire structure of the stadium stands.[21] Ten days later all concrete works were finished.

On 16 December 2010 at the headquarters of the National Sports Centre a press conference took place dedicated to the so-called ‘big lift operation’ at the stadium. The conference discussed the main principles of the process, one of the most technologically advanced operations in the world and the first such project in Europe. No major problems occurred during this operation and ‘big lift’ was finalized on January 4, 2011. On this occasion, in the presence of Prime Minister Donald Tusk and Mayor of Warsaw Hanna Gronkiewicz-Waltz, a ceremony of symbolic topping-out was held.[22]

Completion and opening

The National Stadium was originally planned to be completed on 30 June 2011. The stadium was scheduled to be opened to the public on July 22, 2011, while its official opening was scheduled to take place on August 27.[23] Due to ongoing construction, the event was moved to January 2012 and only an inaugural illumination of the facade of the stadium took place in August. A match against the Germany national football team had been scheduled on 6 September 2011 but this was relocated to Gdańsk, because the National Stadium wasn't ready yet.

Construction work was officially completed on 29 November 2011.[24] One day later, Rafał Kapler - The NCS President submitted to the site manager an application needed to get a certificate of occupancy. The official opening ceremony of the stadium took place on 29 January 2012. The event was celebrated by concerts by Polish celebrities: Voo Voo and Haydamaky, Zakopower, Coma, T. Love, Lady Pank and ended with an evening fireworks show. On 10 February 2012, installation of heating and irrigation systems and the pitch installation was completed.

Transport

Warszawa Stadion railway station; the stadium itself can be seen in the background

Railways and metro

The stadium is located near the railway station Warszawa Stadion. The station has two side platforms flanking the suburban tracks of the Warsaw Cross-City Line used by the regional trains run by Koleje Mazowieckie and Szybka Kolej Miejska. The stadium can be reached by the S1 and S2 lines. The trip from central Warsaw takes about 5 minutes, and during the rush hours trains run every 4 minutes. Within an hour about 26000 people could reach stadium only by trains. In early 2012, the station has undergone thorough modernization in preparation for the new stadium and for the UEFA Euro 2012.

The stadium is accessible from the Warsaw Metro. The closest station is Stadion Narodowy metro station (C14) opened in March 2015.

Buses and trams

Around the stadium there are several tram and bus stops. The most convenient way to reach the stadium from the city centre is to use the transport hub located on Rondo Waszyngtona.

Events

Poland national football team matches

On February 29, 2012, 100 days before the start of UEFA Euro 2012 tournament, the Polish national football team, played the inaugural match against the Portuguese team which ended with a goalless draw.

Nr Competition Date Opponent Result Attendance Scorers for Poland
1 Friendly 29 February 2012  Portugal 0–0 53,179 –––
2 UEFA Euro 2012 8 June 2012  Greece 1–1 56,070 Robert Lewandowski
3 UEFA Euro 2012 12 June 2012  Russia 1–1 55,920 Jakub Błaszczykowski
4 Friendly 12 October 2012  South Africa 1–0 42,026 Marcin Komorowski
5 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification 17 October 2012  England 1–1 47,300 Kamil Glik
6 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification 22 March 2013  Ukraine 1–3 55,565 Łukasz Piszczek
7 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification 26 March 2013  San Marino 5–0 43,008 2 x Robert Lewandowski, Łukasz Piszczek, Łukasz Teodorczyk, Jakub Kosecki
8 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification 6 September 2013  Montenegro 1–1 45,652 Robert Lewandowski
9 Friendly 5 March 2014  Scotland 0–1 41,652 –––
10 UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying 11 October 2014  Germany 2–0 56,934 Arkadiusz Milik, Sebastian Mila
11 UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying 14 October 2014  Scotland 2–2 55,197 Krzysztof Mączyński, Arkadiusz Milik
12 UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying 13 June 2015  Georgia 4–0 56,512 3 x Robert Lewandowski, Arkadiusz Milik
13 UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying 7 September 2015  Gibraltar 8–1 27,763 2 x Kamil Grosicki, 2 x Robert Lewandowski, 2 x Arkadiusz Milik, Jakub Błaszczykowski, Bartosz Kapustka
14 UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying 11 October 2015  Republic of Ireland 2–1 57,497 Grzegorz Krychowiak, Robert Lewandowski
15 Friendly 13 November 2015  Iceland 4–2 56,207 2 x Robert Lewandowski, Kamil Grosicki, Bartosz Kapustka
16 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification 8 October 2016  Denmark 3–2 56,811 3 x Robert Lewandowski
17 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification 11 October 2016  Armenia 2–1 44,786 Hrayr Mkoyan (o.g.), Robert Lewandowski
18 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification 10 June 2017  Romania 3–1 57,128 3 x Robert Lewandowski
19 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification 4 September 2017  Kazakhstan 3–0 56,963 Arkadiusz Milik, Kamil Glik, Robert Lewandowski
20 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification 8 October 2017  Montenegro 4–2 57,538 Krzysztof Mączyński, Kamil Grosicki, Robert Lewandowski, Filip Stojković (o.g.)
21 Friendly 10 November 2017  Uruguay 0–0 56,147
22 Friendly 12 June 2018  Lithuania 4–0 57,211 2 x Robert Lewandowski, Dawid Kownacki, Jakub Błaszczykowski
23 UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying 24 March 2019  Latvia 2–0 51,112 Robert Lewandowski, Kamil Glik
24 UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying 10 June 2019  Israel 4–0 57,229 Krzysztof Piątek, Robert Lewandowski, Kamil Grosicki, Damian Kądzior
25 UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying 9 September 2019  Austria 0–0 56,788 –––
26 UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying 13 October 2019  North Macedonia 2–0 52,894 Przemysław Frankowski, Arkadiusz Milik
27 UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying 19 November 2019  Slovenia 3–2 53,946 Sebastian Szymański, Robert Lewandowski, Jacek Góralski

Euro 2012 matches

The stadium was one of the venues for the UEFA Euro 2012 hosted jointly by Poland and Ukraine. Three Group A matches, a quarter-final and a semi-final were played there (with the other matches in that group played at the Wrocław Stadium).

The following matches were played at the stadium during the UEFA Euro 2012:

Interior of the National Stadium before the UEFA Euro 2012 semi-final match between Germany and Italy on 28 June 2012
DateTime (CEST)Team #1ResultTeam #2RoundScorersAttendance
8 June 201218:00 Poland1–1 GreeceGroup ARobert Lewandowski 17'
Dimitris Salpingidis 51'
56,070
12 June 201220:45 Poland1–1 RussiaGroup AAlan Dzagoev 37'
Jakub Błaszczykowski 57'
55,920
16 June 201220:45 Greece1–0 RussiaGroup AGiorgos Karagounis 45+2'55,614
21 June 201220:45 Czech Republic0–1 PortugalQuarter-finalCristiano Ronaldo 79'55,590
28 June 201220:45 Germany1–2 ItalySemi-finalMario Balotelli 20',36'
Mesut Özil 90'+2 (pen.)
55,540

American football

On July 15, 2012, two weeks after the UEFA Euro 2012, the National Stadium hosted the VII SuperFinal PLFA (more commonly known as the Polish Bowl), the championship game of the Polish American Football League.[25]

Science Picnic

The stadium is the venue for the Science Picnic, an annual science education fair, since 2013. During the 2013 Science Picnic, the stadium was visited by 142,573 people, which was at the time record attendance at any type of event held at the stadium.[26][27]

2014 FIVB Volleyball Men's World Championship

On August 30, 2014, the National Stadium hosted the opening ceremony and match (Poland vs. Serbia) of the 2014 FIVB Volleyball Men's World Championship. Poland beat Serbia in front of 61,500 spectators – a new record for an FIVB volleyball match.

Date Time Score Set 1 Set 2 Set 3 Set 4 Set 5 Total Report
30 Aug 20:15 Poland  3–0  Serbia 25–19 25–18 25–18     75–55 P2 P3

Speedway

The stadium will also host Motorcycle speedway with the Speedway Grand Prix of Poland scheduled as Round 1 of the 2015 Speedway Grand Prix series to be held there on 18 April. Poland's popular and most recent World Champion Tomasz Gollob has been granted a Wild Card entry to the Grand Prix.[28]

Concerts

Concerts at Warsaw National Stadium
DateArtistTourAttendance
1 August 2012 Madonna The MDNA Tour 38,699
19 September 2012 Coldplay Mylo Xyloto Tour 40,492
25–26 May 2013 Beyoncé
Basement Jaxx
Fatboy Slim
Cypress Hill
The Offspring
Tinie Tempah
The Mrs. Carter Show World Tour
Orange Warsaw Festival
49,034
22 June 2013 Paul McCartney Out There! Tour 29,000+[29][30]
25 July 2013 Depeche Mode The Delta Machine Tour 53,181
20 August 2013 Roger Waters The Wall Live 32,549
13–15 June 2014 Kings of Leon
Queens of the Stone Age
Florence and the Machine
David Guetta
Kasabian
Snoop Dogg
OutKast
Timbaland
Bring Me the Horizon
Pixies
Hurts
The Wombats
French Films
The Pretty Reckless
Chase & Status DJ Set & MC Rage
I Am Giant
Orange Warsaw Festival
11 July 2014 Metallica
Alice in Chains
Anthrax
Kvelertak
Sonisphere Festival
25 July 2015 AC/DC Rock or Bust World Tour 48,000
22 August 2015 Violetta Violetta Live
5 August 2016 Rihanna Anti World Tour
18 June 2017 Coldplay A Head Full of Dreams Tour 57,615
23 July 2017 Depeche Mode Global Spirit Tour 54,659
30 June 2018 Beyoncé
Jay-Z
On the Run II Tour 53,500
8 July 2018 The Rolling Stones No Filter Tour 52,355
11–12 August 2018 Ed Sheeran ÷ Tour 104,836
26 June 2019 Phil Collins Not Dead Yet Tour TBA
12 July 2019 Bon Jovi This House Is Not For Sale Tour TBA
20 July 2019 Pink Beautiful Trauma World Tour 46,964
11 June 2021 Iron Maiden Legacy of the Beast World Tour TBA
A Panorama view of the stadium interior

See also

References

  1. "National Stadium, UEFA 2012, Poland" (in Polish). UEFA. 2010. Archived from the original on 2010-04-17. Retrieved 2010-04-09. Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  2. "National Stadium Warsaw". UEFA. Retrieved 18 June 2012.
  3. "A great spectacle and records at the National Stadium!". stadionnarodowy.org.pl. Retrieved 18 September 2014.
  4. "Poland beats Serbia in volleyball championship opener". thenews.pl. Retrieved 18 September 2014.
  5. Narodowe Centrum Sportu about the stadium Archived 2012-10-04 at the Wayback Machine
  6. "Euro 2012: Venue guide for European Championship finals". BBC. Retrieved 2 December 2011.
  7. "Poland mark Warsaw milestone with Portugal draw". UEFA.com. 29 February 2012. Retrieved 29 May 2012.
  8. "Minister ostrzega budowniczych Stadionu". dziennik.pl. Retrieved 2012-05-20.
  9. "Stadion Narodowy w Warszawie - opis". 2012.org.pl. Archived from the original on 2012-05-09. Retrieved 2012-05-20.
  10. "Stadiony w Miastach Gospodarzach – nie tylko na EURO 2012". 2012.org.pl. Archived from the original on 2013-10-18. Retrieved 2012-05-20.
  11. "Biało-czerwona elewacja wkrótce na Stadionie Narodowym". warszawa.gazeta.pl. Retrieved 2012-05-20.
  12. "Nederlandse bedrijven leveren grasmat voor EK Voetbal in Polen en Oekraïne". Financiele Dagblad. Retrieved 22 June 2012.
  13. "Hendriks Graszoden". Stadionwelt-Business. Retrieved 22 June 2012.
  14. "Nowa murawa już na Stadionie Narodowym". onet.pl. Retrieved 2012-05-20.
  15. "Narodowy: Krzesełka już są, a będzie więcej". stadiony.net. stadiony.net. Retrieved 2012-05-20.
  16. "Stadion Narodowy symbolem Warszawy. Koniec budowy". gazeta.pl. Retrieved 2012-05-20.
  17. "Stadion Narodowy: ministerstwo rekomenduje trzy projekty". urbanity.pl. Retrieved 2012-05-20.
  18. "Ruszyła budowa Stadionu Narodowego". zyciewarszawy.pl. Retrieved 2012-05-20.
  19. "Fundamenty Narodowego wzmocnią gazety i bilon". Robert Biskupski. zyciewarszawy.pl. Archived from the original on 2012-02-25. Retrieved 2012-05-20.
  20. "Pierwszy element pierścienia dachu już na Stadionie". stadionnarodowy.org.pl. Retrieved 2012-05-20.
  21. "Trybuny na Narodowym gotowe!". stadionnarodowy.org.pl. Retrieved 2012-05-20.
  22. "Na Stadionie Narodowym zawisła wiecha". PAP. wnp.pl. Retrieved 2012-05-20.
  23. "Gwiazdy i orgia świateł na otwarcie Stadionu Narodowego". Michał Wojtczuk. gazeta.pl. Retrieved 2012-05-20.
  24. "Wykonawca spełnił warunki ostatecznego wezwania przekazanego przez NCS". stadionnarodowy.org.pl. Retrieved 2012-05-20.
  25. "Giganci zagrają w rozgrywkach europejskich i w lidze czeskiej". pzfa.pl. 19 January 2012. Archived from the original on 21 January 2012. Retrieved 19 January 2012.
  26. "Piknik Naukowy 2013: rekordowa frekwencja" (in Polish). PolskieRadio.pl. 2013-06-15. Retrieved 2015-02-05.
  27. "Narodowy: Rekord frekwencji na Pikniku Naukowym" (in Polish). Stadiony.net. 2013-06-17. Retrieved 2015-02-05.
  28. 2015 Speedway GP of Poland
  29. Kamiński, Łukasz (2013-06-23). "McCartney na Narodowym "kapitalny". Opinie fanów [WIDEO]". Gazeta.pl. Retrieved 2013-12-15.
  30. Siwiński, Konrad (2013-06-23). "Paul McCartney, Warszawa, Stadion Narodowy, 22.06.2013". artrock.pl. Retrieved 2013-12-15.
Preceded by
Juventus Stadium
Turin
UEFA Europa League
Final venue

2015
Succeeded by
St. Jakob-Park
Basel
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