Euro 2008 Finals Venue Hides a Sinister Past
When the fans of the German and Spanish teams throng into Vienna's Ernst Happel Stadium on Sunday to watch the Euro 2008 finals they will be hoping to enjoy a day of thrilling sport in Austria's most historic stadium. Many may not realize, however, that this history spans back to the 1930s when the stadium served as a Nazi barracks and then as a prison where Jews were held before being deported to concentration camps.
The dark chapter in the stadium's history began in 1934, three years after it was completed and christened the Prater Stadium. That May, Austria's fascist Chancellor Engelbert Dolfuss stood in the stadium and announced the country's new constitution, which abolished democracy in Austria and made it an authoritarian state.
Four years later, following Germany's March 12 annexation of Austria (more...), the stadium would host the so-called "Anschluss Spiel," or "annexation match," between the countries' football teams. Austria would defeat Germany on the pitch 2-0, a week before its citizens voted in a referendum to join Hitler's Third Reich.
Read entire article at Spiegel Online
The dark chapter in the stadium's history began in 1934, three years after it was completed and christened the Prater Stadium. That May, Austria's fascist Chancellor Engelbert Dolfuss stood in the stadium and announced the country's new constitution, which abolished democracy in Austria and made it an authoritarian state.
Four years later, following Germany's March 12 annexation of Austria (more...), the stadium would host the so-called "Anschluss Spiel," or "annexation match," between the countries' football teams. Austria would defeat Germany on the pitch 2-0, a week before its citizens voted in a referendum to join Hitler's Third Reich.