What once was a stadium hosting football matches and public events with sometimes more than 60.000 spectators is now an overgrown ruin.

The Edmund Szyc Stadium, which is located in the centre of Poznan, has an interesting and troubled history. It was built for the local football team Warta Poznan and opened in 1929 as part of the Polish General Exhibition. This event was organised to showcase the progress Poland made in its 10 years of independence. Its opening was already ominous. During the opening ceremony, large structural problems were discovered, the festivities were ended and until 1937 various unsuccessful attempts were made to save the structure of the stadium. In 1938 a new renovation started which would last for 3 years. Then, World War 2 broke out. The unfinished stadium became an execution place for Jews who had been used as slave labourers by the Nazis.

After World War 2 new renovation plans were made and between 1950 and 1957 a stadium was built that could house up to 60.000 people. In the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s the stadium hosted many football matches of Warta Poznan, Lech Poznan, and the Polish national team. Many (Polish) attendance records were broken in those glory days.

Unfortunately, the fall of communism in 1989 also spelled the end for the stadium. Because of the political changes, Warta Poznan lost its main sponsor and could not afford the stadium anymore and it fell into disrepair. The ownership of the stadium changed hands many times afterwards and since 2018 it is owned by the local government. They are currently considering various plans for this site, but until a decision is reached, it remains a ruined stadium full of history.  

Originally posted on Instagram on May 27, 2023