Wisla Stadium on way to Euro 2012

Krakow will be a reserve city for the Euro Cup in Poland and Ukraine in 2012.

Euro 2012 will be the 14th European championship for national football teams sanctioned by the UEFA. Wisla Stadium, the football-specific stadium on Reymonta Street in Krakow, may be hosting some games during the event, so it must be updated to meet the requirements set by UEFA for host stadiums.

The newest redesign, with a seating capacity of at least 32,500 spectators, was published by the daily newspaper Gazeta Wyborcza. First of all, new drawings of both the eastern and western stadium sections have appeared in the new proposal.

Part of these drawings refers to the historic colonnade which was built around the stadium in the 1950s. The stadium skyline has changed in the newest design. The new construction will add a second balcony level on each tribune, and the stadium will look much lighter.

“All the time we do research to see if the view will be good enough from all angles and if people can see what happens on the playing field from any side of the tribunes,” said Wojciech Obtulowicz, the architect responsible for the project.

City officials are not the only people taking part in the remodeling discussion. Wisla fans also have tried to help their club contribute to the redesign. As soon as Gazeta Wyborcza has published the newest proposals, club supporters have offered their opinions and proposed changes.

Critics have pointed out that beyond the aesthetics, that new proposals will increase the cost of the remodeling and that the stadium’s appearance will not improve as the highest part of the colonnade is not going to be altered at all, according to the plans.

A tunnel under the playing field, which would link both tribunes, also may be built. A special building is planned for the media, to hold press conferences, player presentations, etc.

The total cost of the entire project is estimated at 12 mln zloty over 3.15 mln euro and has been criticized as an unnecessary expense.

Also proposed for the stadium are a panoramic entrance hall, with glass elevators lifting to skyboxes and positions for commentators, VIPs and others.

Authorities also want to make Wisla suitable for other events in addition to football, which requires a good lighting system. At one stage authorities were considering a permanent roof over the stadium, but this idea has been discarded.