The world's largest stadium is now only used as a training facility after being left to fall apart across the last century following its use for both sporting and music events.
The Great Strahov Stadium, located in Prague, was designed by Czech architect Alois Dryak in the 1920s and was initially created to host gymnastic events between the First and Second World Wars.
The initial capacity was said to be around 250,000 during its prime years of use but as conflict across Europe began to develop, the facility was used to host an anti-war event in 1938 with the attendance reaching a staggering 348,000 for the demonstration.
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The dimensions of the stadium itself see the field cover just above 63,000 square metres, which impressively is enough to fit around eight football pitches in at once.
Having previously been limited during the Communism era, the arena opened its doors to a range of events following its end in the late 1980s as a diverse and developing audience began to flock to the Great Strahov Stadium. From the Rolling Stones to Bon Jovi, over 100,000 people would filter in to witness these live music events at one of, if not the, most impressive facility on offer.
However, the stadium itself was left to rot over the years and after its growing popularity throughout the 1990s, there were even calls to have it demolished as the stands were slowly left to fall into ruin.
From capacity crowds hosting the biggest events over the last century to just a shadow of its former glory, the Strahov is now only used as a training facility for Czech side Sparta Prague with the pitch being the only functional aspect left of the once great arena.
Even this, although only a small bit of use, could be stripped in the near future with the stadiums UNESCO Heritage Site status being the only barrier standing in the way of the Strahov being transformed into hotels, houses or completely demolished altogether.
Topics: Football, Czech Republic
Patrick Rowe