The century-old Strahov Stadium hosted trainees, rock concerts, and the Pope

Prague – With a capacity of 220,000 spectators, the Strahov Stadium was one of the largest stadiums in the world. The stadium, which even made it into the Guinness Book of Records, was the venue for several Sokol mass events and other public performances. During the communist regime, it served the needs of national spartakiads, and after 1989, it hosted the biggest stars of world music. The Strahov Stadium, which now serves as a training center for the youth of Sparta football, was opened 100 years ago, on July 4, 1926, when the VIII. Sokol mass gathering took place here.

The stadium was built for the purpose of hosting Sokol mass gatherings, but in 1926 it featured a sandy exercise ground, earthen embankments, and wooden stands for spectators. The original stadium was designed by architect Alois Dryák. It was later expanded multiple times; for example, between 1932-1938, the western stand was built (according to the designs of architects Ferdinand Balcárek and Karel Kopp), and from 1960 to 1975, the entire complex was completed for the needs of national spartakiads. The total area of the stadium is 63,000 square meters.

Before the war, several Sokol mass gatherings and other public performances were held here, with the highest attendance recorded in June and July 1938, when the then Masaryk State Stadium hosted the anti-war X. Sokol mass gathering.

During the Second World War, the stadium was used by the Nazis for the deportation of Jews, who were gathered here before transportation. After the war, Germans were gathered here again, waiting for transport out of the Czech lands.

The first nationwide spartakiad took place here in 1955 as a celebration of the tenth anniversary of the end of the Second World War. A series of nationwide and later Czechoslovak spartakiads, which took place at five-year intervals, was only interrupted in 1970 after the invasion of Warsaw Pact troops into the territory of then Czechoslovakia in 1968. The last spartakiad was held in 1985, and the next planned one in 1990 did not occur. During the spartakiad in 1960, a record 750,000 gymnasts performed on the field, and the stands hosted two million spectators.

After the fall of communism, the stadium was filled with crowds of music-loving fans; for example, in August 1990, around 100,000 people attended a concert by the Rolling Stones, about 120,000 came in September 1994 for a performance by Pink Floyd, approximately 130,000 spectators returned in August 1995 for the "Stones" again, and around 80,000 people attended a concert by the Irish group U2 in August 1997.

In 1994, a renewed XII. Sokol mass gathering took place here with the participation of President Václav Havel, and in May 1995, a service was held here by Pope John Paul II. In the 1990s, the stadium area was also used for exhibition events, hosting several ForArch fairs among other events. In September 2000, the stadium served as a tent city during the meetings of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank in Prague, where opponents of globalization were accommodated; it was often also used by members of the Jehovah's Witnesses.

However, the megalomaniac structure fell into disrepair, with weeds and small trees growing on the field, and the stands reached a state of emergency. There were tendencies to demolish the stadium, but it was ultimately decided that it would be preserved. In 1998, the city of Prague signed a contract with the Czech-Moravian Football Association for a free loan for 50 years, with the association starting the construction of a National Football Stadium in Strahov. However, the project was canceled, and the contract was terminated the following year.

In July 2002, an agreement was signed for the lease of the stadium to Sparta Prague football club, which opened its training complex with eight fields and a modern administrative building there in October 2003 for 261 million korunas.