The ugliest stadium in Prague. The Letna advertising shop window remembers the 1960s
The owner of Sparta, Daniel Křetínský, has been heating more than a million crowns a year in the football stove in Letná for several years. The hobby, which has not brought him much success, has one symbolic scandal that a large number of Praguers see every day. You can love or hate Sparta, but everyone can agree on one thing. The stadium in Letná has been one of the ugliest in the country for several years.
A look into the past
The first real Sparta stadium in Letná was built in 1921, when it consisted only of a wooden structure. It didn’t take long and in 1936 a reinforced concrete structure was built, which is the basis of today’s main grandstand and the background of the entire stadium. In both cases, it was a very bold concept that was crowned in the late 1960s.
Between 1967 and 1969, three more grandstands in a similar reinforced concrete style were gradually built, which closed the entire stadium. This created one of the most modern stadiums in Europe with a capacity of 35,000 spectators.
The biggest paradox of the story of this Letna constellation is the fact that it was also the last significant intervention in the form of the stadium. The last major reconstruction took place when Sparta was owned by the controversial businessman Petr Mach. In 1994, the stadium received its current form and the capacity was reduced for 20,000 spectators.
Sad present
Although Daniel Křetínský is the third richest Czech, the AC Sparta Prague stadium still holds the same shape that it acquired at the end of the years. Especially from the point of view of the busy Milady Horáková Street, people from the tram, sidewalks and cars can see an incredible display of advertising panels hung on an iron structure.
The only big change in recent years is the liquidation of McDonald’s and the training ground, where Křetínský’s new development project is slowly but surely growing. Although there has been talk for several years of a new stadium for Sparta, nothing is happening yet. The most successful Czech football club with a rich owner is still playing its match in a setting that definitely does not meet modern standards. The first thing that could help is the removal of unsightly advertising.
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