Stadion Koturaška
Encyclopedia
Stadion Koturaška, also referred to as Građanski Stadium was a football stadium in Zagreb
, Croatia
. It was located at Koturaška Road in today's Trnje
and was home to the football club Građanski Zagreb for over 20 years from 1924 to 1945. After World War II
and the dissolution of Građanski it was taken over by NK Dinamo Zagreb, who played there until 1948 when the club moved to their present-day home at Stadion Maksimir.
often hosted matches in Zagreb, but the main venues used for these were grounds owned by Concordia
and HAŠK
football clubs (the present-day Stadion Kranjčevićeva and Stadion Maksimir). However, in May 1932 Koturaška hosted a friendly between Kingdom of Yugoslavia and Poland
, which attracted a crowd of 6,000 and ended in Poland's 3–0 win.
In 1940 the team of Banovina of Croatia
(at the time province of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia) played two unofficial international matches at the stadium, beating Switzerland
4–0 in April (through goals from Florijan Matekalo
, August Lešnik
and a brace by Zvonko Cimermančić) in front of a crowd of 10,000, and drawing 1–1 against Hungary
in December, with Franjo Wölfl
scoring the single goal for the home team, in front of 8,000 spectators. Interestingly, all the players who scored for Croatia at Koturaška in 1940 were footballers of Građanski.
Following the 1941 Invasion of Yugoslavia
the fascist puppet state Independent State of Croatia
came into existence and formed a national team recognized by FIFA which hosted a number of international friendlies in Zagreb during World War II
. However, the team's preferred stadium was Concordia's ground, so Koturaška never hosted another international game as in 1945 both the Independent State of Croatia and Građanski ceased to exist and the stadium fell into disrepair before it was completely abandoned in 1948.
Zagreb
Zagreb is the capital and the largest city of the Republic of Croatia. It is in the northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the Medvednica mountain. Zagreb lies at an elevation of approximately above sea level. According to the last official census, Zagreb's city...
, Croatia
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
. It was located at Koturaška Road in today's Trnje
Trnje
Trnje is a district in the City of Zagreb, Croatia. According to the 2001 census, the district had 45,267 residents. It is located in the central part of the city, south of Donji grad across the railway , east of Trešnjevka , west of Pešćenica , and north of the river Sava...
and was home to the football club Građanski Zagreb for over 20 years from 1924 to 1945. After World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
and the dissolution of Građanski it was taken over by NK Dinamo Zagreb, who played there until 1948 when the club moved to their present-day home at Stadion Maksimir.
Timeline
- 1894: A 500-meter velodromeVelodromeA velodrome is an arena for track cycling. Modern velodromes feature steeply banked oval tracks, consisting of two 180-degree circular bends connected by two straights...
is built at the present-day Koturaška Road, to be used by the First Croatian Cycling Society . (According to some sources the name of the road comes from the original velodrome built there as koturaši was an archaicArchaismIn language, an archaism is the use of a form of speech or writing that is no longer current. This can either be done deliberately or as part of a specific jargon or formula...
Croatian colloquial term used for cyclists in the early 20th century, and the name could thus be translated as Cyclists' Road.) - 1907: PNIŠK football club takes over the velodrome which in the meantime fell into disrepair. They turn it into a multi-use sports ground, with a football pitch in its center. The cycling track around the pitch is converted into a 500-meter athletics track, the first of its kind in Zagreb.
- 1909: After using the ground for occasional matches between PNIŠK and HAŠKHAŠKHAŠK was a Croatian football club established in Zagreb in 1903 which ceased operating in 1945. The club was one of the most successful sides in Zagreb and the Kingdom of Yugoslavia in the period between the two World Wars...
, the first two football clubs in Zagreb, PNIŠK is dissolved in 1909 and the ground is abandoned. - 1911: Građanski Zagreb football club is founded. In the 1910s they use several training grounds in TuškanacTuškanacTuškanac is a neighborhood located in Gornji Grad - Medveščak city district of Zagreb, Croatia. It has a population of 2,849. It is best known for its parks and the Tuškanac cinema....
, Martinovka and KanalKanal, ZagrebKanal is a neighborhood in the city district of Trnje in Zagreb, Croatia. It is located northeast of the intersection of Vukovarska Avenue and Marin Držić Avenue and south of Radnička Road. The population is 1,700....
neighborhoods. - 1924: Građanski's ground located next to PNIŠK's old ground at Koturaška is finished and officially opened by Stjepan RadićStjepan RadicStjepan Radić was a Croatian politician and the founder of the Croatian Peasant Party in 1905. Radić is credited with galvanizing the peasantry of Croatia into a viable political force...
, a prominent Croatian politician. The pitch measured 100x60 meters and featured a 400 m athletics track. A wooden stand was later added, designed by the architect Gjuro Kastl, with a capacity of 1,618. From then onwards, the stadium is commonly referred to as Građanski Stadium . - 1945: Građanski is officially disbanded by a decree issued by the communist authorities on 6 June 1945. Stadion Koturaška is taken over by the newly established NK Dinamo Zagreb, who use it for their first match on 23 June 1945, a friendly game against the Yugoslav Air ForceSFR Yugoslav Air ForceThe Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Yugoslav Air Force , was the air force of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia . Formed in 1945, it was preceded by the Yugoslav Royal Air Force which was disbanded in 1941, following the German occupation of Yugoslavia...
team. In the following years Dinamo use Koturaška, as well as several other grounds around Zagreb which had been nationalisedNationalizationNationalisation, also spelled nationalization, is the process of taking an industry or assets into government ownership by a national government or state. Nationalization usually refers to private assets, but may also mean assets owned by lower levels of government, such as municipalities, being...
in 1945 until they finally move to HAŠKHAŠKHAŠK was a Croatian football club established in Zagreb in 1903 which ceased operating in 1945. The club was one of the most successful sides in Zagreb and the Kingdom of Yugoslavia in the period between the two World Wars...
's old ground in MaksimirMaksimirMaksimir is one of the neighborhoods of Zagreb, Croatia. Maksimir stadium and Maksimir Park are located in it. It was named after the bishop Maksimilijan Vrhovac....
in 1948. They play their first game at Maksimir on 19 November 1949 against FK PartizanFK PartizanFudbalski klub Partizan is a professional football club based in Belgrade, Serbia. In its long history, FK Partizan won as many as 37 trophies. The club is the holder of 23 national championships, 12 national cups and 1 national supercup, and has also won the Mitropa Cup in 1978...
. - 1954: The first phase of the new Stadion Maksimir is completed on the site of HAŠK's former ground, designed by architects Vladimir Turina and Franjo Neidhardt. The venue is expanded further in a series of renovations between 1952 and early 1960s, with the north stand added in 1955 and the east stand constructed in 1961. This brings up the total capacity to around 60,000 by 1961. The football pitch measures 105x70 meters and the stadium features a 400-meter athletics track. Meanwhile, the old stadium at Koturaška is abandoned in the early 1950s and eventually demolished.
International matches
In the 1920s and 1930s the Kingdom of Yugoslavia national teamYugoslavia national football team
The Yugoslavia national football team represented the Kingdom of Yugoslavia and the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia in association football. It enjoyed a modicum of success in international competition. In 1992, during the Yugoslav wars, the team was suspended from international...
often hosted matches in Zagreb, but the main venues used for these were grounds owned by Concordia
HŠK Concordia
HŠK Concordia was a Croatian football club formed in Zagreb. The club was founded asthe Srednjoškolski športski klub in 1906.By the end of the First World War the club had played many matches with both domestic and foreign clubs...
and HAŠK
HAŠK
HAŠK was a Croatian football club established in Zagreb in 1903 which ceased operating in 1945. The club was one of the most successful sides in Zagreb and the Kingdom of Yugoslavia in the period between the two World Wars...
football clubs (the present-day Stadion Kranjčevićeva and Stadion Maksimir). However, in May 1932 Koturaška hosted a friendly between Kingdom of Yugoslavia and Poland
Poland national football team
The Poland national football team represents Poland in association football and is controlled by the Polish Football Association, the governing body for football in Poland...
, which attracted a crowd of 6,000 and ended in Poland's 3–0 win.
In 1940 the team of Banovina of Croatia
Banovina of Croatia
The Banovina of Croatia or Banate of Croatia was a province of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia between 1939 and 1943 . Its capital was at Zagreb and it included most of present-day Croatia along with portions of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia...
(at the time province of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia) played two unofficial international matches at the stadium, beating Switzerland
Switzerland national football team
The Swiss national football team is the national football team of Switzerland...
4–0 in April (through goals from Florijan Matekalo
Florijan Matekalo
Florijan Matekalo was a Croatian and Yugoslav footballer and manager. He played for both the Kingdom of Yugoslavia's national team and the Banovina of Croatia's national team.Matekalo started his career with local side Elektrobosna Jajce before moving to Slavija Sarajevo...
, August Lešnik
August Lešnik
August Lešnik was a Croatian footballer. Lešnik played most of his club football for Građanski Zagreb. In 1941 he was the Croatian First League's top scorer while playing for Građanski, and performed the same feat twice in the Yugoslavian First League as well: in 1938 and 1939...
and a brace by Zvonko Cimermančić) in front of a crowd of 10,000, and drawing 1–1 against Hungary
Hungary national football team
The Hungary national football team represents Hungary in international football and is controlled by the Hungarian Football Federation....
in December, with Franjo Wölfl
Franjo Wölfl
Franjo Wölfl was a Croatian footballer. He played international football first with the Kingdom of Yugoslavia national team from 1938 and then the Croatian national team from 1940 to 1944. Finally, Wölfl suited up for communist Yugoslavia's national team from 1945 to 1951.Wölfl spent much of his...
scoring the single goal for the home team, in front of 8,000 spectators. Interestingly, all the players who scored for Croatia at Koturaška in 1940 were footballers of Građanski.
Following the 1941 Invasion of Yugoslavia
Invasion of Yugoslavia
The Invasion of Yugoslavia , also known as the April War , was the Axis Powers' attack on the Kingdom of Yugoslavia which began on 6 April 1941 during World War II...
the fascist puppet state Independent State of Croatia
Independent State of Croatia
The Independent State of Croatia was a World War II puppet state of Nazi Germany, established on a part of Axis-occupied Yugoslavia. The NDH was founded on 10 April 1941, after the invasion of Yugoslavia by the Axis powers. All of Bosnia and Herzegovina was annexed to NDH, together with some parts...
came into existence and formed a national team recognized by FIFA which hosted a number of international friendlies in Zagreb during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. However, the team's preferred stadium was Concordia's ground, so Koturaška never hosted another international game as in 1945 both the Independent State of Croatia and Građanski ceased to exist and the stadium fell into disrepair before it was completely abandoned in 1948.