Stadionul Giulești-Valentin Stănescu (1939)

Giulești-Valentin Stănescu Stadium was a football stadium in Bucharest, Romania. It was the home stadium of FC Rapid București for almost 80 years.

This article is about the stadium that was opened in 1939 and closed in 2018. For the new stadium, see Rapid Arena.
Giulești-Valentin Stănescu
Former namesStadionul Giulești
Address18 Calea Giulești
LocationBucharest, Romania
Coordinates44°27′21.3″N 26°3′24.6″E
OwnerMinistry of Transport
Capacity19,100 seated
Field size102 x 68m
SurfaceGrass
Construction
Opened10 June 1939
Renovated2003
Expanded1996
Closed24 November 2018
Demolished10 January 2019
Tenants
Rapid București (1939–2018)
Sportul Studențesc (2013)

It was named after Valentin Stănescu, the coach that helped Rapid to win its first title, but was most commonly known as the "Giulești Stadium", after the name of the neighborhood in which it was located. Landmarks near the stadium include Podul Grant, Giulești Theatre and Prunaru market. Gara de Nord is not far away from the stadium and the Grivița Railway Yards are right next to it.

The stadium was entirely demolished in 2019, and has been replaced with the Rapid Arena, a new all-seater stadium that opened in 2022.[1]

History

Construction started in the 1936 and the stadium was inaugurated on 10 June 1939. At the time, it was the most modern stadium in Romania, a smaller replica of Arsenal's Highbury Stadium, with a capacity of 12,160 seats. Among the guests at the opening ceremony were King Carol II of Romania, Prince Mihai of Romania and Prince Paul of Greece. It was noted for its Art Deco architecture and quickly became a symbol of the working-class Giulești neighborhood. It escaped systematization attempts from 1975 to 1990.

Replacement of the north stand was completed in the mid-1990s, increasing the capacity to 19,100 seats. The stadium was renovated again in 2003.

Since the summer of 2004, the stadium had been administered by Rapid București. Its capacity was restricted to 11,704 seats due to safety concerns regarding parts of the stadium.

On 24 November 2018 the stadium was closed for demolition, with a new ground planned to take its place. The last match played in the Giulești Stadium was between FC Rapid București and Înainte Modelu, which Rapid won 1-0.[2]

On 10 January 2019 the demolition process began. It was completed on 7 May 2019.[3]

Romania national football team

The following Romania national football team|national team]] matches were held in the stadium:

#DateScoreOpponentCompetition
1.28 April 20045–1 GermanyFriendly match
2.4 September 20042–1 Finland2006 FIFA World Cup qualification
3.26 March 20050–2 Netherlands2006 FIFA World Cup qualification
4.3 June 20113–0 Bosnia and HerzegovinaUEFA Euro 2012 qualifying
  • View of the North End from the Main Stand
    View of the North End from the Main Stand
  • View of the Second Stand from the Main Stand
    View of the Second Stand from the Main Stand
  • View of the Second Stand from the North End
    View of the Second Stand from the North End
  • View of the Main Stand from the Second Stand
    View of the Main Stand from the Second Stand
  • View of the stadium from the South End
    View of the stadium from the South End
  • North End in 2012.
    North End in 2012.
  • Main Stand in 2012.
    Main Stand in 2012.

See also

References
  1. "Rapid Bucuresti gains keys to new stadium". 5 January 2022.
  2. Rapid - Modelu 1-0. Lacrimi pentru 8 decenii de istorie, la ultimul joc pe Giulești. Pancu, final de carieră. digisport.ro (in Romanian)
  3. A început demolarea Stadionului Giulești. Va fi pus la pământ după fix 80 de ani. digisport.ro (in Romanian)
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