Located in the southern part of Reichssportfeld, the Olympiastadion was originally built for the 1936 Summer Olympics by the Nazi as a recommended visit outside the hustle and bustle of the Berlin city. The stadium suffered some damages in the World War II.. After the war, the British military army occupied the northern part of the Reichssportfeld as headquarters until 1949. Later, antenna transmitting were supplied for all the portable radios in Berlin by its government.
The stadium started a debate over its future in the 1990s. Many people hope to rebuilt it as a football-specific stadium. However, it was renovated as a multiple purpose stadium. After the decision, the stadium was awarded the final of the 2006 World Cup, during which hosted four group matches, a quarter-final, as well as the final between Italy and France.
The renovation included the lower tier and the installation of the new roof which was completed in 2004. Then the stadium reopened with an international match between Germany and Brazil.
The Olympiastadion has been chosen to host the 2015 Champions League Final, which is the first European Cup Final in the stadium.
The Olympic Stadium has all-seated capacity of 74,500 in Germany, bigger than the Dortmunds Signal Iduna Park which was called Westfalenstadion before. Though the Westfalenstadion possessed both seating and standing areas, the seated capacity was lower than the Olympiastadion. The roof of the stadium is 68 meters high over the seats, made up of transparent panels, allowing sunlight to shine on from the panels during the day. The western part of the stadium is open to show the Bell Tower for spectators. The Olympiastadion is also equipped with the most advanced technology of artificial illumination and sound equipment. There are 113 VIP stands, a large number of restaurants, two underground garages as well as other facilities. The total cost of the stadium is about 242 million.
Tips:
Visitors can arrive in the stadium by light rail. Take either line S5 or S75 to station Olympiastadion. Both of the two lines connect with the major railway stations in the center of Berlin city, also with the station of Spandau in the west.
