The Eilenriedestadion is a football stadium in Hanover

Hanover

Hanover or Hannover, on the river Leine, is the capital of the federal state of Lower Saxony , Germany and was once by personal union the family seat of the Hanoverian Kings of Great Britain, under their title as the dukes of Brunswick-Lüneburg...

, Germany

Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

. It is the home ground of the amateur team of Bundesliga

Fußball-Bundesliga

The Fußball-Bundesliga is a professional association football league in Germany. At the top of Germany's football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. It is contested by 18 teams and operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the 2. Bundesliga...

 club Hannover 96

Hannover 96

Hannoverscher Sportverein von 1896, commonly referred to as Hannover 96, Hannover or simply 96, is a German association football club based in the city of Hanover, Lower Saxony.-Foundation to WWII:...

 and is situated at the edge of the Eilenriede forest in the centre of the city.

History

The Eilenriedestadion was built in 1921, under the name "Stadion der Stadt Hannover" (Eng: Stadium of Hannover City). It could hold 25,000 at this time.

In 1934, it was renamed the Hindenburg

Paul von Hindenburg

Paul Ludwig Hans Anton von Beneckendorff und von Hindenburg , known universally as Paul von Hindenburg was a Prussian-German field marshal, statesman, and politician, and served as the second President of Germany from 1925 to 1934....

-Kampfbahn (Eng: Hindenburg Arena).
A pillar still standing in the entrance today is inscribed: "Hindenburg Kampfbahn der Stadt Hannover, erbaut 1921". After World War II, it briefly reverted back to being named "Stadion der Stadt Hannover", before changing to its current title.

Shortly after its construction, Hannover 96

Hannover 96

Hannoverscher Sportverein von 1896, commonly referred to as Hannover 96, Hannover or simply 96, is a German association football club based in the city of Hanover, Lower Saxony.-Foundation to WWII:...

 moved to here from the Stadion Radrennbahn (a cycling track) as that was too small for tournaments against the likes of Eintracht Braunschweig

Eintracht Braunschweig

Eintracht Braunschweig is a German association football club based in Braunschweig, Lower Saxony. The club was one of the founding members of the Bundesliga in 1963 and won the national title in 1967.-History:...

 or Arminia Hannover

Arminia Hannover

SV Arminia Hannover is a German association football club based in Hanover, Lower Saxony.- History :The club was founded in 1910 as FC Arminia Hannover and merged with Rugby-Verein Merkur in 1918, becoming SV Arminia-Merkur. Two years later they re-named themselves SV Arminia Hannover and captured...

. They remained here until 1959, when the club eventually left to move to the brand new Niedersachsenstadion. However, the club's youth and amateur sides continue to play here today.

In 1931 and 1937, the German national team

Germany national football team

The Germany national football team is the football team that has represented Germany in international competition since 1908. It is governed by the German Football Association , which was founded in 1900....

 played (and won) two internationals here against Denmark

Denmark national football team

The Denmark national football team represents Denmark in association football and is controlled by the Danish Football Association , the governing body for the football clubs which are organized under DBU...

 (4-2) and Belgium (1-0).

In 2000 the recently refurbished stadium hosted the centenary celebrations of the German Rugby Federation, including the Centenary Match between a German Rugby Federation selection

Germany national rugby union team

Germany is a third-tier Rugby Union playing nation. Germany currently plays at the second level of European rugby but has never managed to qualify for the Rugby World Cup...

 and the famous British Barbarians (19-47).

In 2005, it was partly redeveloped to be used as a training base during that summer's Confederations Cup

2005 FIFA Confederations Cup

-Group B:---------------------Knockout stage:-Semi-finals:-----Third place playoff:-Final:-Awards:-Goal scorers:5 goals Adriano4 goals Luciano Figueroa John Aloisi Michael Ballack...

.