Stadion der Weltjugend

About

Stadion der Weltjugend was a multi-use stadium in the locality of Mitte in the eponymous borough of Mitte in Berlin, Germany. It was inaugurated on 20 May 1950 by the First Secretary of the Socialist Unity Party, Walter Ulbricht for the first "Deutschlandtreffen" ("German Festival") of the Free German Youth. The stadium was named after Walter Ulbricht.

In the vernacular of Berlin, the stadium was later called Zickenwiese after Ulbricht's beard. The Walter-Ulbricht-Stadion had a capacity of 70,000 spectators and was complemented by several further football pitches, tennis courts and athletic fields. It was the largest stadium in East Germany at its opening.

The stadium was a site of the 3rd World Festival of Youth and Students in 1951. The stadium was redeveloped ahead of the 10th World Festival of Youth and Students in 1973, together with the Friedrich-Ludwig-Jahn-Sportpark. The redevelopment included the installation of seating, which reduced the capacity to 50,000.

The redeveloped stadium was then also renamed to Stadion der Weltjugend ("Stadium of the World Youth"). The Walter Ulbricht-Stadion was the home ground of the football team of SC Dynamo Berlin until September 1961. It was...