Dismantling of floodlight masts in the sports forum
Preparatory measures for the refurbishment of the main stadium
Next Monday, the construction site for the dismantling of the floodlight masts at the Chemnitz Sportforum will begin. The four masts will be dismantled as part of the refurbishment of the main stadium, as further use is not possible for structural and constructional reasons. The ongoing corrosion of the steel structure is increasing the maintenance and upkeep costs immensely. In addition, two new functional buildings are planned on the side of the marathon tower, which will contain the urgently needed changing and sanitary facilities as well as rooms required for training and competitions. The old floodlight masts will be replaced by new, modern training facility lighting - eight lighting masts that also contain a public address system.
The dismantling of the floodlight masts is preliminary work for the refurbishment of the main stadium. Start of construction. The construction site is scheduled to be set up at the beginning of May. Demolition of the stands is scheduled to begin in mid-May.
The four masts will be removed one by one from 2 to 12 April 2019 using a crane and dismantled on site. Work will start with the pylon at the Werner-Seelenbinder-Straße access road and then proceed in a clockwise direction. One to two days are planned for each pylon. Dismantling will take place in three stages. First, the upper section - the mast platform - will be removed, followed by the approx. 22 metre long middle section and finally the 20 and 26 metre long V-bracing will be removed from the base points.
In 1968, the Ernst Thälmann Stadium, now the Sportforum, was equipped with floodlights, which were the most modern in the GDR at the time. The masts are 54.20 metres high.
Reconstruction of the main stadium in the Sportforum:
The renovation of the main stadium in the Sportforum includes the renovation of the tower building with accommodation for the Olympic training centre, demolition of the spectator facility in the south curve area and redesign of the north curve. The grandstand areas to be retained will be paved and used as standing and recreation areas during events. The entire area is to be newly fenced, the goal judge's tower rebuilt and the technical facilities renewed. The overall construction project is divided into five sections. Construction is scheduled to begin in May 2019 and end in December 2020. The total costs amount to around 9.4 million euros; the construction project is being applied for funding from the federal special funding programme "Renovation of municipal facilities in the areas of sport, youth and culture".