Since the beginning of the 20s of the last century in Soviet Russia, the development of sports has been given great importance. The construction of sports facilities has become a requirement of the time, especially for such large cities as Leningrad.
The history of the sports complex. V. Lenin
The decision of the Executive Committee on the construction of the complex to them. V.I. Lenin (he kept this name until 1992), was adopted on April 16, 1924, and on July 26 of the following year its opening was celebrated.
The construction was carried out according to the project of the Czech living in Leningrad, Alois Vejvoda, an engineer, athlete and football player, a member of Sport FC. Under the name Voevodin, he led the construction of several more sports facilities, and in 1927 he was expelled from the country on false charges.
The birth of the stadium was monitored by the whole city. Central newspapers published regular reports. The Petrovsky Stadium was conceived as multifunctional, involving classes not only in football, but also in winter sports, motorcycle and cycling, and athletics competitions.
The capacity of the Petrovsky Stadium (its current name) is designed for 10,000 seats.
The Petrovsky Stadium hosted the first football match in July 1925. The city teams of Leningrad and Kharkov met. The first international meeting with the team of Uruguay took place in 1928 and ended in a victory for the Soviet team with a score of 4: 1. And this is despite the fact that in 1930 at the first World Cup, the team of this South African country took first place.
Direct dependence of stadium capacity on its popularity
The incredible popularity of the stadium required its expansion. Reconstruction took place in 1933. Wooden stands erected on the site of the demolished track significantly increased the capacity of the Petrovsky Stadium. Now it could accommodate 25,000 spectators.
The city teams Dynamo, Spartak, Zenit and Stalinets (the latter joined together in 1940, retaining the name Zenit) constantly trained and performed on the stadium field. Two meetings held as part of the city football tournament were scheduled for June 22, 1941. They did not take place.
During the war and the heroic defense of the city, the stadium became a military target, the anti-aircraft battery was located on the reserve field. In order to raise the morale of the city residents and despite the constant training of new recruits taking place on the main field, several football and athletics meetings were held at the Leningrad Championship during the blockade days. Preserved photos of the match “Zenith” - KBF (team of the Red Army Baltic Fleet). Towards the end of the war, the stadium was so destroyed that it did not have enough money or strength to restore it. And he was given to Labor Reserves, a society created in 1943.
Post-war reconstruction
Over time, the stadium ceased to meet the needs of fans, and in 1957 the Petrovsky stadium underwent a new reconstruction, which was completely completed only in 1961. Conducted under the guidance of a group of architects - N.V. Baranov (chief architect of the city), O. I. Guryev, V. M. Fromsel, it was so global that it was just right to talk about building a new stadium, more modern. The stands were located on reinforced concrete bases, under which 5 gyms and spacious locker rooms were freely located. Four huge towers were 576 floodlights, making it possible to conduct matches in the evening. 100 columns located around the perimeter of the outside of the stands gave a bright personality to the object. In addition, the stadium’s pride was treadmills covered with Novotan artificial material. They were considered the fastest in the country, and all this allowed us to hold here in 1966 the Znamensky Brothers Memorial , which includes all types of summer Olympic sports.
After this reconstruction, the capacity of the Petrovsky Stadium was 33,000 seats. From 1968 to 1980, the Zenit team used the sports complex as a home. In 1980, the stadium became an Olympic venue.
Bringing the stadium in line with modern requirements
The stadium underwent another reconstruction in 1992, at which time it received its current name. Under the guidance of architect S.P. Odnovalov, he was prepared for the Goodwill Games, which were successfully held in 1994. As a result of the next reconstruction, the capacity of the Petrovsky stadium was reduced to 21,725 seats. More recently, there were rumors of a new modernization, but a decision was made in favor of building a new arena.
In its present form, the facility meets all the requirements of the time: it has a powerful infrastructure, all the details necessary for the stadium to host world-class competitions have been taken into account. Fans call it "Petrovich".
The stadium is very beautiful. It is located on an island that is fully occupied. Petrovsky Island is washed by two rivers - Malaya Neva and Zhdanovka. The island is connected with the shore of the Petrograd side by the Zhdanov bridge. From a bird's eye view, multi-colored stands, the lights of powerful modern spotlights reflected in the water make the stadium unusually attractive.
The address of the Petrovsky stadium is easy to find in any directory. This beauty is located very close to the city center - 2.5 km from the Palace Square. The Sportivnaya station, belonging to the Frunze-Primorsky (violet) metro line, belongs to the Petrovsky Stadium sports complex. Hundreds of guidebooks tell you how to get to it faster and more conveniently. The trolleybus number 7 is closest to the object. Routes nos. 1, 9, 31 go here. Bus routes nos. 1, 10, 128. Numerous minibuses can deliver fans from all areas of the city. Without the presence of a special auto pass, entry to the island is prohibited by personal transport.