Stadion Rote Erde
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| Full name | Stadion Rote Erde |
|---|---|
| Former names | Kampfbahn Rote Erde |
| Location | Dortmund, Germany |
| Owner | Municipality of Dortmund |
| Operator | Municipality of Dortmund |
| Capacity | 25,000 (athletic matches) 9,999 (football matches) 42,000 (1962-1974) |
| Record attendance | 42,000 |
| Surface | Grass |
| Scoreboard | None |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | 1924 |
| Built | 1924-1926 |
| Opened | 6 June 1926 |
| Renovated | 1976, 2008 |
| Expanded | 1963 |
| Construction cost | 1.8 million German Mark |
| Architect | Hans Strobel |
| Tenants | |
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Borussia Dortmund (1937–1974) Borussia Dortmund II (1937–present) |
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Stadion Rote Erde (Red Earth Stadium) is a 25,000 capacity (3,000 seated) football and athletics stadium in Dortmund, North Rhine-Westphalia. It serves as the home stadium to Borussia Dortmund II and several athletic clubs. The stadium was built in between 1924 and 1926 at a cost of 1.8 million German Mark. The stadium was inaugurated in 1926, with a match between the City of Dortmund and FC Wacker München (1-11).
The first plans for the stadium date back to 1921, when the Municipality of Dortmund decided to build a Volkspark in the southern area of Dortmund. Architect Hans Strobel designed the park, in which a swimming pool, a multi-functional stadium and the Westfalenhallen would be built. The stadium was built between 1924 and 1926 and was inaugurated in 1926.
On September 4, 1927, the Katholikentag was held in the stadium and in the adjacent Westfalenhallen. This event was organized by the Papal Nuncio to Germany, Eugenio Pacelli, who would later become Pope Pius XII.
In the first decade of the stadium's history, it was mostly used for athletic events. The first official football match in the stadium was in 1929, the quarter-final match of the 1929 German football championship between Borussia Dortmund's rivals Schalke 04 and Hertha BSC, with Hertha BSC winning 4-1.
In 1932, the stadium hosted the championship match between DJK Sparta Nuremberg and DJK Adler Frintrop, which ended 5-2 to Nuremberg.
Due to the German war machine, the steel and mining company Hoesch AG had to extend her factories in Dortmund. Borussia Dortmund was forced to leave their ground Weisse Wiese and moved to the Stadion Rote Erde in 1937. During World War II, the stadium was heavily damaged and was renovated after the war.
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