Demolition work has begun at Jahn-Sportpark

The controversial demolition work on Berlin's historic Friedrich-Ludwig-Jahn-Sportpark is underway. On Tuesday, excavators rolled up to the stadium in Prenzlauer Berg and began removing buildings on the site. "The demolition started this morning, that's the message I received from the Senate Department for Urban Development," confirmed Interior and Sports Senator Iris Spranger (SPD) at a Senate press conference.

The NaturFreunde Berlin association had previously announced its intention to submit an urgent application to the Berlin Administrative Court to stop demolition work on the stadium until species protection in the sports park had been sufficiently taken into account. This concerns compensatory measures to permanently secure the breeding grounds of birds and bats. The court did not confirm receipt of such an application on Tuesday.

Spranger: No impact on demolition for the time being

Spranger also had no knowledge of whether the application had already been received. She said: "I have to tell you, the Senate Department for Urban Development has always worked very, very properly, especially in this area. We will see whether the urgent application is accepted by the court at all," said the 63-year-old. "According to the state secretary and also according to the senator, this has no effect on the demolition for now."

A new stadium with a seating capacity of 20,000 is to be built on the site as the centerpiece of the new sports park. The Senate is planning a fully inclusive facility in the Prenzlauer Berg district. Additional tennis courts, soccer pitches and volleyball courts are planned for the huge area. A new multi-sports hall is also to be built.

Historical sports facility

The project has been criticized for various reasons. The demolition and new construction of the stadium alone is now expected to cost 182 million euros, which is twice as much as originally planned. The Jahnsportpark citizens' initiative collected over 14,000 signatures in a petition to prevent the measures. In their view, demolishing and rebuilding the Jahnstadion is neither necessary nor financially sustainable.

The Jahn-Sportpark is one of the most historic sports venues in the history of athletics. In 1984, Uwe John was the only man to throw the javelin over the 100-meter mark in Berlin's Friedrich-Ludwig-Jahn-Sportpark. The women ran a world record three times over 100 meters at the site of the former Prussian parade ground.