Müngersdorfer Stadion
The Müngersdorfer Stadion was the stadium that stood in the place of the current RheinEnergieStadion until it was demolished in 2001. As such, it was the home of 1. FC Köln.
It was constructed to enhance the status of the city of Cologne, and served to provide 15,000 people with work during the 1920s. It opened on the 16th of September 1923, and a rumoured 300,000 people attended the opening. It was at that point in time the biggest stadium in Europe, though it only contained 3,000 seats. It was lovingly called the “Mother of German stadiums” and a new source of pride after the German capitulation in the first World War.
In its early years it was the leading stadium in Germany, and used for a wide range of events. Its first international match was held in 1927 when 50,000 people saw Germany draw 2-2 with Holland. Though 1. FC Köln possessed one of the more modern arenas in Germany, in the following decades it kept making plans to turn the stadium into a proper football stadium. In the 60s and early 70s several propositions were made for a covered stadium with a capacity of around 80,000, however these plans were halted due to the high projected construction costs. This led to Cologne missing out on being a host city during the 1974 World Cup.
However, in the end a new stadium did arrive. In 1973 construction began of a complete new stadium with a capacity of 61,188. It was to be the first fully covered stadium in Germany, and was opened on the 12th of November 1975 with the derby between 1. FC Köln and Fortuna Köln. Again Cologne had one of the most modern stadiums in Germany, and it therefore got selected to be a venue at the Euro 1988 tournament, during which it hosted two group matches.
In the late 90s, after seats had been made compulsory and Germany had been granted the 2006 World Cup, once again it turned out the stadium had aged too much, and plans were made to replace the stadium with a brand new one, the current RheinEnergieStadion. Construction was executed in phases so that FC Köln wouldn’t have to play any matches in another stadium. In 2004 construction was completed and nothing of the old stadium remains.
Keep up to date with the latest stadium news by following @stadiumguide on Twitter (all updates) or liking our Facebook page (occasional updates). 
