People can also visit the Strahov Stadium on the occasion of the Sokol Festival

photo: Tomáš Sysel

Prague – In the coming days, people can learn about the beginnings of Sokol, its role for the state, and the venue for several of its gatherings during guided tours of the Strahov Stadium in Prague. During these tours, participants will access the presidential lounge, the stands, or the places where the Gate of Fighters once stood, from where journalists later commented on the program at the gymnasium. The tours for interested visitors are organized by the non-profit organization Open House Prague on the occasion of the 17th Sokol Gathering and will take place from Sunday to Friday.

"We will recall the gatherings that took place here in the past, and we will also look at some new places," stated Michal Šedivý from Open House Prague. Detailed information about the tour dates and tickets can be found on the organization's website.

According to the organizers, visitors will learn many interesting facts about the stadium, which opened 98 years ago, on July 4, 1926, when the VIII. All-Sokol Gathering took place here. It later hosted spartakiads, military parades, a mass by Pope John Paul II, and concerts, including a concert by The Rolling Stones. "The story of the great Strahov Stadium reflects the history of the 20th century, and memories of this partially dilapidated colossus remain very vivid for many people to this day. Thus, those who remember have a unique opportunity to return in time to the places where Sokol history was written," noted guide Martina Dvořáková.

The stadium was built for the purpose of holding all-Sokol gatherings; in 1926, it featured a sandy gymnasium, earthen mounds, and wooden stands for spectators. The original stadium was designed by architect Alois Dryák. It has been expanded several times since, for instance, the western stand was built from 1932 to 1938, and from 1960 to 1975, the area was completed for the needs of national spartakiads. The last spartakiad at the stadium, which with a capacity of 220,000 spectators was one of the largest stadiums in the world and made it into the Guinness Book of Records, took place in 1985.

The venue recorded its highest attendance in June and July 1938, when the then Masaryk State Stadium hosted the anti-war X. All-Sokol Gathering.