Dan Paltinișanu Stadium

Dan Paltinișanu Stadium (Romanian: Stadionul Dan Paltinișanu) is a multi-purpose stadium in Timișoara, Romania. It is the second-largest stadium in Romania, with a seating capacity of 32,972. It is currently used mostly for football matches by the local team, SSU Politehnica Timișoara. The stadium is named after footballer Dan Paltinișanu (1951–1995) who played 10 seasons at FC Politehnica Timișoara. The stadium will be demolished for the construction of a new arena with 30,000 seats.

History

The stadium was officially inaugurated on 1 May 1963, then named 1 May. The construction of the stadium was done with the workers from the city's factories. Its structure is similar to the one used to build most of the Romanian stadiums of that time, i.e. compacted earth. This constructive solution proved to be extremely problematic, as the compaction of the earth over time led to the deterioration of the stadium. The original capacity was 40,000 on benches, but in 2005, when the plastic seats were installed, the capacity was reduced to 32,972. The floodlighting system, with a density of 1,456 lx, has been inaugurated in 2003, at a match against Petrolul Ploiești. Following two general renovations, in 2002 and 2008, the venue is able to host UEFA Champions League games. It is a four-star establishment with all the facilities required for the team, internet for the press room, 30 cameras for video surveillance, electrically heated pitch, an automated irrigation system and a modern scoreboard.

The Romanian national football team was also a tenant. The first game played by the national team at Dan Paltinișanu was in March 1983 against Yugoslavia. Since then other six games were played, the last one in March 2010 against Israel.

As of 2021, the stadium is in an advanced state of degradation, and will be demolished to make way for a new arena with 30,000 seats.

This page also has a version in other languages :  Дан Пэлтинишану Стадион (russian)