Wörthersee Stadion

The Wörthersee Stadion stands beside the blue waters of Wörthersee lake in Klagenfurt, Austria. It is part of the larger Sportpark Klagenfurt complex that groups several sports venues together. The stadium began in 1960 as a modest track-and-field ground for the old SK Austria Klagenfurt club. After decades of use it was rebuilt in 2005 for the 2008 European Football Championship. The rebuilt stadium held 32,000 seats when it opened in 2007 and hosted three Euro 2008 matches. The stadium is worth the journey because it has shaped Carinthia’s sporting life for over sixty years. In 1962 the club first reached the Austrian Bundesliga and regularly drew thousands of fans. When the team returned in 2001 under governor Jörg Haider, the region decided to build a bigger stadium. The 2008 tournament brought international matches to Klagenfurt, and the stadium later hosted a 2018 International Champions Cup game between Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain. Visitors find a modern bowl with three tiers of seating and a lower South Stand fitted with rail seats for safe standing. The pitch is surrounded by a running track that remains from the original stadium. Outside, the Sportpark campus offers parking and access to other sports facilities. On match days the stadium buzzes with fans, while the nearby Wörthersee lake provides a scenic backdrop. Between events the venue has hosted large art installations such as Klaus Littmann’s 300-tree forest in 2019.