Eerie Abandoned Stadiums And Their Forgotten Histories

25. Kirov Stadium (Russia) – A Soviet Giant Reduced to Rubble

At one time, Kirov Stadium in St. Petersburg was one of the largest football venues in the world, with a staggering capacity of 100,000 spectators. Opened in 1950, the stadium was a monument to Soviet architecture, built on Krestovsky Island with a design that mirrored the grandeur of the Soviet Union’s sporting ambitions. For decades, Kirov Stadium was the home of FC Zenit Saint Petersburg, hosting legendary matches and drawing some of the largest crowds in Russian football. It was also used for major athletic competitions, concerts, and public events. However, by the 1990s, the stadium began to show its age, with structural concerns and outdated facilities making it unsuitable for modern football. In 2006, Kirov Stadium was permanently closed, and plans were made to replace it with a cutting-edge facility. By 2011, the stadium was completely demolished, paving the way for the construction of Krestovsky Stadium (Gazprom Arena), which opened in 2017 and served as a venue for the 2018 FIFA World Cup.