Uber Arena
Berlin, Germany
Olympiastadion
Berlin Germany
Olympiastadion Berlin is a world-renowned sports stadium located in Berlin, Germany, boasting an exact official seating capacity of 74475. Serving as the primary home venue for the professional football club Hertha BSC, this elite arena holds a prestigious UEFA Category Four rating. It is structurally unique for its deep subterranean pitch placement, historical stone facades, and a modern translucent roof that contrasts with its classic monumental architecture.
Stadium History
The initial construction of the iconic sports ground began in 1934 under the design direction of architect Werner March, who created the massive stone structure for the 1936 Summer Olympic Games. The grand opening occurred on August 1, 1936, revealing a largely subterranean arena excavated fifteen meters into the earth to maintain a low profile in the surrounding landscape. Following decades of basic maintenance, a massive €242 million structural overhaul commenced in the year 2000 under the supervision of architects Gerkan, Marg and Partners, commonly known as gmp. This monumental renovation project, completed in mid-2004, preserved the historic natural stone exterior walls while modernizing all inner concrete stands, lowering the pitch slightly, and adding a floating roof structure to completely protect spectators from weather conditions.
Architecture
The architecture blends monumental mid-twentieth-century design with high-tech twenty-first-century materials. The stadium bowl features a traditional oval shape that is dramatically split open on the western side by the Marathon Gate, providing a direct historic sightline toward the nearby bell tower. The roof structure consists of an extremely lightweight, cantilevered steel frame supported by twenty slender internal steel pillars placed within the upper seating tiers, topped with an upper membrane of translucent polytetrafluoroethylene, or PTFE-coated fiberglass fabric. This upper surface encompasses twenty-eight thousand square meters and works in unison with a lower acoustic membrane. The acoustic engineering utilizes the enclosed nature of this continuous ring roof and a massive Electro-Voice line-array digital loudspeaker network to concentrate vocal crowd noise directly down toward the field, magnifying the interior sound while preventing echo leakage outside the stone facade.
Club Identity
The official name translates directly from German as the Olympic Stadium Berlin, explicitly honoring its original purpose as the centerpiece of the 1936 Olympic complex. Unlike many modern football arenas across Europe, the stadium has never sold its title to corporate sponsors or commercial entities, preserving its historical nomenclature intact. Locally, supporters of the resident club Hertha BSC and regional sports journalists commonly refer to the venue simply as the Olympiastadion or the Berlin Olympic. The name remains tightly intertwined with the civic identity of Berlin, acting as a permanent monumental anchor for major athletic gatherings in the nation.
Major Renovations
The permanent seating capacity was established at 74475 all-seater places following the extensive modernization phase that took place between 2000 and 2004. The seating configuration is organized into a lower ring and an upper ring, split into clear blocks running from A to Z. The eastern curve, known to fans as the Ostkurve, contains the most active home spectator sections, while the western side remains framed by the open Marathon Gate. Premium seating hospitality includes the centralized south-facing honorary stand, multiple dedicated business lounges like the expansive Olympia-Lounge, and over twenty executive VIP boxes that vary in size to accommodate between ten and thirty-six guests comfortably. The stadium does not incorporate open standing terraces for league matches, utilizing an all-seated model to ensure maximum safety and compliance during elite international tournaments.
Iconic matches
The turf has hosted some of the most prestigious matches in global football history, including multiple fixtures during the 1974 FIFA World Cup and six crucial games during the 2006 FIFA World Cup, culminating in the historic final where Italy defeated France in a dramatic penalty shootout. Since 1985, the venue has served as the permanent host for the annual DFB-Pokal German Cup final, making it a symbolic destination for domestic club football. On a club level, it provided the stage for the 2015 UEFA Champions League final, where Barcelona secured a three-to-one victory over Juventus. The venue also took center stage during the UEFA Euro 2024 tournament, hosting several matches including the final tournament match where Spain defeated England to lift the trophy.
Location Neighborhood
The sports complex is situated in the western district of Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf, specifically within the Westend locality of Berlin. The venue rests approximately ten kilometers west of the central city hub at Potsdamer Platz and about eight kilometers from the main commercial boulevard of Kurfürstendamm. The immediate surrounding neighborhood is predominantly residential, characterized by quiet tree-lined avenues, parklands, and neighboring amateur sports fields within the greater Olympiapark grounds. On matchdays, the atmosphere transforms completely as the expansive lawns of the Olympischer Platz, located just outside the eastern gates, fill with thousands of Hertha BSC supporters who gather to socialize and buy street food long before the stadium turnstiles open.
How to get to Olympiastadion
Traveling to the venue via public transport is highly efficient due to dedicated rail links built specifically to handle large crowds. Spectators can board the S-Bahn urban rail lines S3 or S9 directly to the S Olympiastadion station, or take the U-Bahn underground metro line U2 to the U Olympia-Stadion station, both of which are located within a five-minute walk from the main outer gates. On non-event days, the open asphalt square at Olympischer Platz serves as a free parking area, whereas official paid matchday parking is restricted to the PO4 and PO5 lots (to be verified before your visit). For fans requiring accessible transit, the U-Bahn station is completely wheelchair accessible, and the S-Bahn station features an elevator at the Flatowallee exit, allowing seamless entry into the flat stone concourses of the lower ring.
Best seats, view and atmosphere
For neutrality and optimal viewing angles, the lower and upper rows of the Haupttribüne on the north side and the Gegentribüne on the south side offer the most comprehensive views of the entire pitch and running track. The most affordable tickets are generally located in the upper tiers of the curves, though these seats are furthest from the playing field. The active local ultras and core home support are positioned strictly in the lower rows of the Ostkurve, spanning blocks Q through T. Conversely, traveling away supporters are allocated seating sections on the opposite western side of the arena, specifically inside blocks G, H, and J near the Marathon Gate, ensuring proper segregation of fan bases.
Olympiastadion Tour & Behind the Scenes
The venue offers well-organized, comprehensive stadium tours for independent tourists and organized groundhopper groups outside of active matchdays. Visitors can choose a self-guided option using an interactive multimedia audio guide to explore the grounds at their own pace, or book a guided Highlight Tour which grants exclusive access to the player dressing rooms, the underground warm-up halls, and the private stadium chapel. General admission tickets for independent exploration cost €11.00 for adults, with guided packages priced slightly higher. The visitors centre at the Olympischer Tor is generally open daily from 9:00 AM to 7:00 PM during the summer months, but closes completely on matchdays and during major concert setups, making online pre-booking highly recommended (to be verified before your visit).
Where to eat and drink near Olympiastadion
Concession stands distributed around the internal lower and upper concourses provide traditional German matchday fare, featuring grilled Bratwurst, Currywurst, and large salted pretzels. The primary beer brand served inside the public concourses is Berliner Kindl, a prominent local brewery that holds the official stadium catering partnership. Outside the stadium complex, fans regularly congregate at traditional neighborhood pubs such as the Preußen-Casino or the various temporary beverage stands erected along Flatowallee and the paths leading from the S-Bahn station, offering local grilled specialities and cold refreshments before stadium security checks.
Good to know
Security protocols at the outer gates are strict, especially during high-risk domestic matches or local derbies, requiring thorough body checks and ticket scanning. The stadium operates a strict electronic bag policy, prohibiting all backpacks, suitcases, and bags larger than a standard DIN-A4 paper size, measuring exactly 29.7 centimeters by 21 centimeters. The internal food and beverage kiosks operate on a completely cashless payment system, accepting all major credit cards, debit cards, EC cards, and mobile payment platforms. It is highly recommended to arrive at least ninety minutes prior to kickoff to navigate the outer security rings smoothly, as the gates generally open two hours before the match starts.
Fan Shop
The primary Hertha BSC official fanshop is located directly within the stadium complex grounds at the Geschäftsstelle building on Hanns-Braun-Straße, stocking a full range of home jerseys, scarves, and club merchandise. The club also operates several secondary retail outlets across central Berlin, including major branches inside the Europa-Center at Breitscheidplatz and on the lower level of the Berlin Hauptbahnhof main railway station. While the online store operates continuously, the physical stadium fanshop maintains standard operating hours from Monday to Friday, with specialized schedules on matchdays that align with gate openings (to be verified before your visit).
FAQ
What is the official seating capacity of Olympiastadion Berlin?
The stadium has an exact permanent seating capacity of 74475 all-seater places. This configuration was finalized during the major modernization project completed ahead of the 2006 FIFA World Cup.
Which football club plays its home matches at this stadium?
The venue serves as the long-term official home ground for the German professional football club Hertha BSC. The club has been staging its domestic league and cup fixtures at the arena since the inception of the Bundesliga in 1963.
Can I reach the stadium easily using Berlin public transit?
Yes, the stadium is highly accessible via both the S-Bahn urban rail lines S3 and S9 to S Olympiastadion station, and the U-Bahn underground metro line U2 to U Olympia-Stadion station. Both transit stops are within a short walking distance of the main gates.
What is the stadium bag policy for matchdays?
Visitors are strictly prohibited from bringing backpacks or large bags into the arena. Only small bags that do not exceed the standard DIN-A4 dimensions of 29.7 centimeters by 21 centimeters are permitted through the security gates.
Are cash payments accepted at the food and beverage kiosks?
No, the stadium concessions operate on a completely cashless payment system. All public kiosks accept major debit cards, credit cards, German EC cards, and contactless mobile payment options for purchasing food and drinks.
