Modernization of Park des Princes ahead of Euro 2016

Paris - Parc des Princes 08.07.2016: The Parc des Princes, or Park of the Princes, is the home ground of Paris Saint-Germain. The club has been playing there since 1974, which was four years after PSG had been started. The Parc des Princes, originally a multi-purpose venue, was built in 1897, and like most stadiums at that time it had a cycle track. The track was part of the stadium until 1967, when it hosted the final stage of the Tour de France for the last time. Five years later, a brand new stadium with a capacity of 48,700 was built on the site of the “vélodrome”.

The concrete construction of the new Parc des Princes was reminiscent of a shell. Since its opening in 1972 it has become one of the architectonic landmarks in Paris. Renovation works ahead of Euro 2016 were already carried out at the Parc des Princes in 2012. On that occasion, the capacity of the stadium was increased, new seats were installed, the façade was renovated and the facilities and infrastructure were modernized. This complete renovation has turned the Parc des Princes into one of the best stadiums in the world.

Why Parc des Princes? The stadium has got its name after the grounds used by the French royal family for hunting. It was the king and his sons, the princes, who took part in the hunts.

Foto: Kromax92 (CC BY-SA 4.0)

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A little bit of history: France had the honour to host the first ever European Championship in 1960. Back then, four national teams participated in the final tournament. The first European Championship final was played at the Parc des Princes, and the USSR beat Yugoslavia 2-1 after extra time, in a match attended by 18,000 spectators. The stadium also provided venue for the final of the 1984 European Championship and on that occasion the Parc des Princes was the site of victory celebrations, as the national team won the Championship, watched by 47,000 people. However, in 1998 when France hosted the World Cup, the Parc des Princes was no longer the main venue. The final was played at the new national stadium – the Stade de France. And the Stade de France will also provide venue for the 2016 European Championship final.