Ernst Happel Stadion – Vienna

// January 24th, 2008

Ernst Happel Stadium Information

Name: Ernst Happel Stadion (before 1986: Prater Stadion)
Inauguration: 11th July 1931
Renovations: 1986
Capacity: 53,008 seats

Directions

Bus: Line 80a
Tram: No. 21

Match schedule at Euro 2008:

Match 3 - Austria - Croatia, Sun 8th June 18:00
Match 12 - Austria - Poland, Thu 12th June 20:45
Match 20 - Austria - Germany, Mon 16th June 20:45
Match 26 - Quarterfinal 2, Winner B – Runner-up A, Fri 20th June 20:45
Match 28 - Quarterfinal 4, Winner D – Runner-up C, Sun 22nd June 20:45
Match 30 - Semifinal 2, Winner #27 – Winner #28, Thu 26th June 20:45
Match 31 - Final, Winner #29 – Winner 30, Sun 29th June 20:45

Ernst Happel Stadion

The Ernst Happel Stadium has always been the largest stadium in Austria. Until 1992 the stadium was known as “Prater Stadion” or sometimes also “Wiener Stadion”.

The opening took place on the 11th July 1931 during the second labourer Olympiad. In that time the stadium had a capacity for 60.000 people.

In 1956 the stadium was extended and the capacity raised up to 92.708 persons. The attendance record dates by 91.000 spectators from 30th October 1960. It was for the football match Austria vs. Spain (Austria won 3:1).

In 1986 the stadium was completely roofed over and the capacity was put down to 53,008. In 1993, the stadium was named after the legendary Austrian soccer player and trainer Ernst Happel. As a supremely talented defensive player, Happel participated in 51 international matches for Austria. As a coach, he succeeded in bringing home 18 titles with six teams in Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands, and Austria. After his death in 1992, he was named the Austrian Coach of the Century.

Legendary are also some of the musical mega events that have taken place in the Ernst Happel Stadium – such as appearances by the Rolling Stones, David Bowie, Tina Turner, and the Three Tenors. Sports history was made in 1950 during the European Boxing Championship and in 1971 with the world record in women’s high jump by Ilona Gusenbauer.

It is the home ground for the Austrian national team.

The stadium has been awarded 5 stars by UEFA, which is the highest amount of stars that can be awarded to a stadium.

Vienna

Vienna (German: Wien) is the capital of Austria, and also one of Austria’s nine federal states (Bundesland Wien). With a population of about 1.6 million, Vienna is the largest city and the cultural and political centre of Austria. Situated on both sides of the river Danube, Vienna is 40 kilometres (25 miles) from Austrian border.

There are buildings of all architectural styles in Vienna, from the Romanesque Ruprechtskirche to the Baroque Karlskirche, and classicist buildings all the way through to modern architecture. Likewise, Art Nouveau left many architectural traces in Vienna. The Secession, Karlsplatz Metropolitan Railway Station, and the Kirche am Steinhof by Otto Wagner rank among the best known examples of Art Nouveau in the world.

There are buildings of all architectural styles in Vienna, from the Romanesque Ruprechtskirche to the Baroque Karlskirche, and classicist buildings all the way through to modern architecture. Likewise, Art Nouveau left many architectural traces in Vienna. The Secession, Karlsplatz Metropolitan Railway Station, and the Kirche am Steinhof by Otto Wagner rank among the best known examples of Art Nouveau in the world.

Vienna has a variety of nightlife options. Its low crime rate and extensive public transportation network make going out at night safe and convenient. Regular public transportation (subway, tram, and bus) runs until approximately 12:30. After this, nighttime bus lines provide service every half hour (fifteen minutes on some segments). Almost all night lines circle the inner city before heading outbound. Most lines are numerated the same as their corresponding daytime line. For example, if you take the 60 tramline followed by the U4 subway into the city, you can take the N60 bus directly from the city back out. At approximately 5 a.m. the daytime lines resume. Day and night lines now use the same tickets.

Starting in the 1980s, the pedestrian zone between the St. Ruprecht’s Church (the oldest in Vienna) and the Bermuda Bräu microbrewery became the now-popular “Bermuda Triangle.” It is the one area of the inner city district where relatively loud music and noise is tolerated. Many bars and small clubs are located in this neighborhood.

The First District in general has an abundance of night life options for any budget. There are many Irish pubs with pint prices starting at €2. On the other side of the price-spectrum are bars such as Sky Bar and Do & Co., which are frequented by the Austrian elite. Opening hours vary essentially by neighborhood noise ordinance agreements. In the summer, bars’ outdoor seating often has to be vacated by 11 p.m. Generally there is an abundance of establishments open until 4 a.m. or later, especially on the weekend.

Larger nightclubs are generally located further out. Popular ones include U4 Disco, located on the U4 subway line, two medium sized clubs in the wine-producing neighborhood of Grinzing, and an ever-increasing amount of large clubs on the eastern side of the Danube, often located in shopping malls and cinema complexes. One popular club located near the center of the city is Flex, which is on the shores of the Donaukanal, and, like U4 is also located on the U4 subway line. Flex often features world-acclaimed dance music DJs.

In the summer, the eastern shore of the Danube is very popular. It is called Copa Cagrana, which is a word-play of Copacabana and Kagran, which is a sub-district nearby.

Starting in the late 1980s, the city undertook much effort to revitalize the area around the Westgürtel (Western Beltway), which had become a red-light district. Today, large portions of the Westgürtel have been modernized, with many restaurants, bars, and mini-clubs now located under the elevated tracks of the U6 subway line.

Category: Euro 2008 Stadiums
Teams in this article: Austria, Croatia, Germany, Poland.