Petrovsky Stadium
The Petrovsky Stadium (Russian: стадион «Петровский») is on a sports complex that consists of a number of buildings, the stadium is used mostly for football and also for athletics. It was the home of FC Zenit and FC Tosno.
Aerial view of Petrovsky Stadium | |
Former names | Lenin Stadium (1925–1992) |
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Location | Saint Petersburg, Russia |
Owner | FC Zenit Saint Petersburg |
Capacity | 21,405[1] |
Field size | 105 m × 68 m (344 ft × 223 ft) |
Surface | Grass |
Construction | |
Broke ground | May 1924 |
Built | 1924–1925 |
Opened | July 26, 1925 |
Renovated | 1933, 1961, 1978, 1994, 2010 |
Tenants | |
FC Zenit Saint Petersburg (1994–2017) FC Tosno (2017–2018) FC Zenit-2 Saint Petersburg (selected matches) |
The complex also contains another football stadium, Minor Sport Arena (MSA). MSA of Petrovsky in 2008 was used by several teams that compete in lower professional leagues: FC Dynamo Saint Petersburg, FC Zenit-2 Saint Petersburg, and FC Sever Murmansk. The whole complex is located on the Petrograd side in central St. Petersburg on Petrovsky Island, an island in the Malaya Neva River connected to the adjacent Krestovsky and Petrogradsky islands through bridges.
Capacity
The Grand Sport Arena of the Petrovsky Sport Complex currently has a capacity of 21,405 people.
History
The first stadium at this location was designed by Czech architect Aloise Wejwoda and was built in 1924 - 1925. During World War II the stadium was completely destroyed. In 1957 - 1961 it was completely rebuilt by architects N.V. Baranov, O.I. Guryev and V.M. Fromzel. At that time the capacity was 33,000 seats. Before the 1980 Summer Olympics Petrovsky Stadium went through major reconstruction.
The stadium has received world recognition since hosting the Goodwill Games in 1994. At that time, after a major reconstruction the seating capacity was changed to a more comfortable design with 21,405 seats. All seats are made of weather-proof durable plastic. Seats have different colour, depending on the seating section and proximity to the pitch.
Today
Zenit Saint Petersburg was based at Petrovsky Stadium from 1994 to 2017. Tosno used the Petrovsky Stadium for one season after.
Aside from sporting events, the stadium has been a popular place for entertainment, music concerts and festivals.
Photo gallery
- Facade of the stadium
- Facade of the stadium in winter and a view of St. Vladimir's Cathedral
- FC Zenit fans on the stadium in 2008
- Petrovsky Stadium in 2005