Maksimir Stadium
Exterior view of the stadium, 2006
Full nameMaksimir Stadium
LocationMaksimir, Zagreb, Croatia
Coordinates45°49′8″N 16°1′5″E / 45.81889°N 16.01806°E / 45.81889; 16.01806
OwnerCity of Zagreb
OperatorDinamo Zagreb
Capacity25,912 (interim)[1]
Record attendance64,138 (NK Zagreb vs Osijek, 19 July 1973)
Field size105 m × 68 m (344 ft × 223 ft)
SurfaceHybrid grass
Construction
Opened5 May 1912 (1912-05-05)
Renovated1948, 1998, 2011
ArchitectVladimir Turina, Branko Kincl
Tenants
HAŠK (1912–1945)
HŠK Građanski (1912–1924)
Dinamo Zagreb (1948–present)
ŽNK Dinamo Zagreb (selected matches)
Croatia national football team (1990–present)
NK Lokomotiva (2009–2017)

Maksimir Stadium (Croatian: Stadion Maksimir, pronounced [ˈstâdioːn mǎksimiːr]) is a multi-use stadium in Zagreb, Croatia. Named after the surrounding neighbourhood of Maksimir, it is one of the largest stadiums in the country with a current seating capacity of 25,912 and a maximum possible capacity of 35,423. It is the home stadium of Croatian club Dinamo Zagreb and has been used since 1990 by the Croatia national football team for the majority of international competitions.

Built 111 years ago in 1912, the stadium underwent renovations in 1948, 1998, and 2011. Its facilities can be converted into a concert stage which has been used to host musical acts.

Maksimir Stadium has four stands: north, east, west, and south, with all seats seated, and no standing places for spectators in the stadium.

A major renovation of the stadium in June 2011 saw new seats installed, and a greater distance created between seats.

However due to the strong earthquake that struck Zagreb on March 22, 2020, the east stand has not been open to spectators.[2]

History

The construction and the early years

With the rising popularity of the sport in Zagreb, the local football club HAŠK, which was one of the first multi-sports club in Croatia, decided to build a new stadium for their club. They bought the ground in the Svetice neighbourhood in Zagreb, which lies on the opposite side of the Maksimir Park, from the Archdiocese of Zagreb. HAŠK built a wooden stand with a capacity of 6,000, which was also the first ground with a proper stand in Zagreb at that time. The stadium was opened on 5 May 1912, and at the opening ceremony of the new stadium, HAŠK and their city rival, HŠK Građanski Zagreb, played several friendly matches to commemorate the opening.[3] Due to the close relationship and alliance of HAŠK and HŠK Građanski Zagreb and the latter one playing at the Stadion Koturaška, which was in a poor state, Građanski also started playing their home matches at the new Stadium Maksimir.

On 26 May 1941, a representative of the Ustashe fascist government of the Independent State of Croatia addressed young Zagreb students at their meeting at the Maksimir Stadium, and at one point ordered the Serbian and Jewish students to be segregated, but the children disobeyed.[4][5] Soon afterwards, in June 1941, rebel youths burned the stadium down.[5] In 1977, a movie Operation Stadium was made to commemorate the segregation incident.

After World War II and the development

After World War II, HAŠK and Građanski got dissolved by the newly established communist regime of Yugoslavia and a new club, FD Dinamo Zagreb, inherited the clubs' colours, honours and the ground and is, therefore, the direct successor of HAŠK and HŠK Građanski Zagreb. When the UEFA Euro 1976 final tournament was held in Yugoslavia, Maksimir hosted the Netherlands v. Czechoslovakia semi-final match and the Netherlands v. Yugoslavia third place match. Maksimir was the central venue for the 1987 Summer Universiade hosted by the city of Zagreb.

In 1990, several events happened at Maksimir. On 13 May, the Dinamo Zagreb–Red Star Belgrade riot took place, an infamous riot involving Dinamo Zagreb and Red Star Belgrade supporters. The last match of the Yugoslavia national football team was hosted at Maksimir on 3 June. On 17 October of the same year, Croatia played the United States in what was Croatia's first match in the modern era.

In modern times

In 1998, plans were made for a massive renovation, and the first phase started the same year. The old northern stand was demolished and a new one built within a year. This renovation increased Maksimir's seating capacity to 38,079. After 1992, for 16 years the Croatian football team had a proud unbeaten record at this stadium in any competitive match, however, on 10 September 2008 (two years after suffering a 2–0 defeat at the same venue) England became the first team to beat Croatia in Zagreb, winning 4–1, ending a thirty match undefeated streak.

In the summer of 2011, a little, but much needed "facelifting" was made on the stadium. All seats were replaced, a new drainage system, under-soil heating and automatic watering were installed along with a new turf, the athletic track was covered with blue artificial grass and all brick surfaces were covered in blue cloth.

2020 earthquake

The earthquake, which happened on the morning of 22 March 2020, damaged the structural stability of the stadium. After an inspection by a structural engineer, the Maksimir stadium was deemed "temporarily unusable". The eastern stand, which is also the biggest single stand by capacity, took the most damage and is awaiting the final decision following a detailed building inspection. While waiting, the club is allowed to host matches on the Maksimir stadium, but with the eastern stand being closed for viewers.[6]

In August 2023, Maksimir was ranked the third ugliest football stadium in Europe according to research carried out by the Money agency based on reviews on platforms such as Google, TripAdvisor and Football Ground.[7]

Capacity per sector

Four stands (8 sectors) contribute to the total seating capacity of 35,423:[1] 25,912 with the East stand closed.

Western approach towards the stadium, July 2018
  • North stand (up): 4,510
  • North stand (down): 4,950
  • North stand (VIP): 300
  • West stand (up): 5,101
  • West stand (down): 6,369
  • West stand (VIP): 748
  • East stand: 9,514 – temporarily closed due to earthquake damage
  • South stand: 3,931

International matches

Date Result Competition
25 June 1952Yugoslavia 4–1 NorwayInternational friendly
18 October 19533–1 France
9 May 19540–2 Belgium
17 June 19561–1 Austria1955–60 Central European International Cup
12 September 1956PR Croatia 5–2 IndonesiaUnofficial friendly
12 May 1957Yugoslavia 6–1 Italy1955–60 Central European International Cup
5 October 19584–4 HungaryInternational friendly
19 November 19612–1 Austria
30 September 19622–3 West Germany
3 November 19632–0 Czechoslovakia
8 May 1966 Hungary
18 November 1970 West Germany
21 October 19730–0 Spain1974 FIFA World Cup qualification
28 September 19741–0 ItalyInternational friendly
15 October 19753–0 SwedenUEFA Euro 1976 qualifying
24 April 19762–0 WalesUEFA Euro 1976 quarter-final
16 June 1976Czechoslovakia 3–1
(a.e.t.)
 NetherlandsUEFA Euro 1976 semi-final
19 June 1976Netherlands 3–2
(a.e.t.)
 YugoslaviaUEFA Euro 1976 third place play-off
8 May 1977Yugoslavia 0–2 Romania1978 FIFA World Cup qualification
4 October 19781–2 SpainUEFA Euro 1980 qualifying
13 June 19794–1 ItalyInternational friendly
12 November 19830–0 France
6 September 19893–1 Scotland1990 FIFA World Cup qualification
3 June 19900–2 NetherlandsInternational friendly
17 October 1990Croatia 2–1 United StatesUnofficial friendly
22 October 19923–0 MexicoInternational friendly
25 June 19933–1 Ukraine
4 June 19940–0 Argentina
9 October 19942–0 LithuaniaUEFA Euro 1996 qualifying
25 March 19954–0 Ukraine
26 April 19952–0 Slovenia
3 September 19957–1 Estonia
10 November 19961–1 Greece1998 FIFA World Cup qualification
6 September 19973–2 Bosnia and Herzegovina
29 October 19972–0 Ukraine1998 FIFA World Cup qualification play-off
6 June 19987–0 AustraliaInternational friendly
14 October 19983–2 MacedoniaUEFA Euro 2000 qualifying
28 April 19990–0 ItalyInternational friendly
21 August 19992–1 MaltaUEFA Euro 2000 qualifying
4 September 19991–0 Republic of Ireland
9 October 19992–2 Yugoslavia
29 March 20001–1 GermanyInternational friendly
28 May 20000–2 France
11 October 20001–1 Scotland2002 FIFA World Cup qualification
6 October 20011–0 Belgium
27 March 20020–0 SloveniaInternational friendly
17 April 20022–0 Bosnia and Herzegovina
29 March 20034–0 BelgiumUEFA Euro 2004 qualifying
11 October 20031–0 Bulgaria
15 November 20031–1 SloveniaUEFA Euro 2004 qualifying play-off
31 March 20042–2 TurkeyInternational friendly
4 September 20043–0 Hungary2006 FIFA World Cup qualification
9 October 20042–2 Bulgaria
26 March 20054–0 Iceland
30 March 20053–0 Malta
8 October 20051–0 Sweden
7 October 20067–0 AndorraUEFA Euro 2008 qualifying
11 October 20062–0 England
24 March 20072–1 Macedonia
6 June 20070–0 Russia
8 September 20072–0 Estonia
13 October 20071–0 Israel
6 September 20083–0 Kazakhstan2010 FIFA World Cup qualification
10 September 20081–4 England
15 October 20084–0 Andorra
6 June 20092–2 Ukraine
5 September 20091–0 Belarus
7 September 20100–0 GreeceUEFA Euro 2012 qualifying
12 October 20102–1 NorwayInternational friendly
17 November 20103–0 MaltaUEFA Euro 2012 qualifying
6 September 20113–1 Israel
15 November 20110–0 TurkeyUEFA Euro 2012 qualifying play-off
29 February 20121–3 SwedenInternational friendly
7 September 20121–0 Macedonia2014 FIFA World Cup qualification
22 March 20132–0 Serbia
7 June 20130–1 Scotland
11 October 20131–2 Belgium
19 November 20132–0 Iceland2014 FIFA World Cup qualification play-off
9 September 20142–0 MaltaUEFA Euro 2016 qualifying
28 March 20155–1 Norway
10 October 20153–0 Bulgaria
5 September 20161–1 Turkey2018 FIFA World Cup qualification
12 November 20162–0 Iceland
24 March 20171–0 Ukraine
3 September 20171–0 Kosovo
9 November 20174–1 Greece2018 FIFA World Cup qualification play-off
15 November 20183–2 Spain2018–19 UEFA Nations League A
21 March 20192–1 AzerbaijanUEFA Euro 2020 qualifying
11 October 20202–1 Sweden2020–21 UEFA Nations League A
14 October 20201–2 France
22 September 20222–1 Denmark2022–23 UEFA Nations League A

Concerts

The stadium has also been used as the venue for some big concerts, including:

Renovation plans

Maksimir before 2011 facelifting

The 1998 renovations plans included lowering the pitch and adding seating where the current running track is, gaining 16,000 seats. The plans also included the addition of a modern roof structure. Maksimir was to have a capacity of 60,000 and was to be an exclusively football stadium.[8] However, in the beginning of the 2000s, the renovations were suspended.

In 2008, the Zagreb city government presented two potential stadiums; Project Maksimir at the current location and Project Vulkan (Volcano), which was proposed for the Kajzerica neighbourhood. The two proposals were to go to a citizens vote, however, little progress was made.

Kajzerica Proposal

Artist's concept for the proposed stadium, nicknamed Blue Volcano

The design competition for the new stadium was won by architect Hrvoje Njirić in May 2008.[9] The winning design, nicknamed "Blue Volcano" (Croatian: Plavi vulkan), would have a capacity of 55,000 and would include a blue-coloured polycarbonate dome exterior and a cloud-like structure suspended above the stadium covered in photovoltaic panels.[10]

The referendum about the proposal, which had originally been scheduled for June 2008, was postponed several times since and has not been held. In October 2012, the project was abandoned,[11] to be briefly revived in 2013 with an eye to a possible UEFA Euro 2020 bid,[12] and again in 2018, following Croatia's historic success in the World Cup.[13]

Recent Plans

There were talks in 2018 that the stadium was going to be demolished and a new, state-of-the-art stadium would be built on the same location. In 2019, Dinamo Zagreb announced that it will demolish Maksimir and build a new stadium on its own, without the help of the Croatian Government, but needed confirmation from the governing body of Zagreb and its mayor, Milan Bandić. Shortly after, it was announced that Dinamo Zagreb and the City of Zagreb will enter a joint collaboration to build the new stadium. The new stadium was supposed to be built on the ground of the current Maksimir Stadium and have had a capacity of 30,000 spectators. The stadium would have had a garage, shopping centre, hotel and several fan corners. After the 2020 Zagreb earthquake, the talks were, once again, put on hold.

Between 1997 and 2015, a total of HRK 800 million (c. €108 million) has been spent renovating the stadium.[14]

As of October 2022, Marko Milić of the Croatian government, has guaranteed that there will be a new Maksimir built with help of the government and the city of Zagreb.

In June 2023, the Mayor of Zagreb Tomislav Tomašević announced plans to reconstruct Stadion Kranjčevićeva, the second major stadium of Zagreb. The plans included the increase of the stadium capacity to 12,000 seats with a total remodelling of all four stands.[15] At the unveiling of the plans, Tomašević said that the plan was for Dinamo Zagreb to leave Maksimir and play out of Kranjčevićeva on completion in 2025 so that the old stadium at Maksimir can be demolished and a new stadium built in its place.

In July 2023, the two major football stadiums in Croatia, Maksimir and Poljud were declared sports buildings of national interest by the Croatian Government.[16] The decision was said to confirm the government's intention to construct a new stadium in Maksimir and complete significant renovations to Poljud.

In December 2023, the Croatian Government, the City of Zagreb, and the Zagreb Archdiocese reached a resolution on a land rights dispute that would allow the construction of a new stadium at the location of the current Maksimir Stadium to proceed.[17] This was seen previously as one of the more difficult hurdles to overcome in relation to the stadium reconstruction process.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "Stadion - Dinamo Zagreb". gnkdinamo.hr. Archived from the original on 30 July 2017. Retrieved 9 May 2018.
  2. "Stadium | Dinamo Zagreb". gnkdinamo.hr. Retrieved 2023-11-27.
  3. "Nogometno ime Zagreb kroz povijest/The Zagreb name through football history". nkzagreb041.hr. Retrieved 16 February 2021.
  4. Zuroff, Efraim (2007-06-25). "Ustasa rock n' roll". Jerusalem Post. Archived from the original on 2012-10-23. Retrieved 2012-04-24.
  5. 1 2 Svjetlana Zorić (2010-05-12). "Otkrivanje nepoznatog Zagreba". E-novine (in Croatian). Archived from the original on 2012-11-19. Retrieved 2012-04-24.
  6. "Stadion Maksimir privremeno neupotrebljiv, dobio žutu oznaku. Urušava se godinama". index.hr. Retrieved 16 February 2021.
  7. Simmonds, Lauren (2023-08-12). "Maksimir Stadium Ranked Third Ugliest in Europe". Total Croatia. Retrieved 2023-09-25.
  8. "STADIUM MAKSIMIR, basic". Archived from the original on 2007-10-19. Retrieved 2009-07-19.
  9. Blašković, Boba; Milković, Ante (2 May 2008). "Novi Dinamov stadion: Plavi vulkan". Jutarnji list (in Croatian). Archived from the original on 19 September 2010. Retrieved 17 August 2010.
  10. Schwartz, Ariel (5 January 2010). "Blue Volcano: A Futuristic Cloud-Covered Stadium for Croatia". Fast Company. Archived from the original on 28 May 2010. Retrieved 17 August 2010.
  11. Brkulj, Vedran (17 October 2012). "Bandić odustao od rekonstrukcije Maksimira i gradnje Kajzerice". tportal.hr (in Croatian). Archived from the original on 18 March 2014. Retrieved 17 October 2012.
  12. "GDJE ĆE SE GRADITI NACIONALNI STADION 'Plavi vulkan' na Kajzerici stajat će 122 milijuna eura". Jutarnji list (in Croatian). 21 September 2013. Archived from the original on 5 August 2017. Retrieved 4 August 2017.
  13. "Jutarnji list - FOTO: OVAKO BI TREBAO IZGLEDATI 'PLAVI VULKAN', NOVI HRVATSKI NACIONALNI STADION Koštao bi 120 milijuna eura, a većinu novca dao bi Grad Zagreb". 14 July 2018.
  14. "Zašto izgradnja krova na dvije tribine Maksimira košta kao bolji stadion". telegram.hr (in Croatian). 2 December 2015. Retrieved 16 November 2018.
  15. "PHOTOS: New modern Zagreb stadium in Kranjčevićeva street presented". Croatia Week. 2023-06-08. Retrieved 2023-07-19.
  16. Rogulj, Daniela (2023-07-06). "Maksimir and Poljud Stadiums Declared Sports Buildings of National Interest". Total Croatia. Retrieved 2023-07-19.
  17. "Church, Government and Zagreb reach agreement on new Maksimir Stadium construction". Croatia Week. 2023-12-07. Retrieved 2023-12-16.
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