Stadiums Built Over Ancient Ruins and Historic Landmarks

9. National Stadium – Warsaw, Poland

Warsaw’s National Stadium is more than just the home of Polish football; it is a structure built on the very soil where one of World War II’s most brutal battles unfolded—the Warsaw Uprising of 1944. During World War II, the area where the stadium now stands was a key battlefield where Polish resistance fighters battled Nazi forces. The Warsaw Uprising, one of the most significant revolts against German occupation, lasted for 63 days and saw the city reduced to rubble. The land surrounding the Vistula River—where the stadium now stands—was a strategic hotspot for Nazi forces, as it served as an escape route and transport hub. Before the modern National Stadium was constructed, the site was home to the Stadion Dziesięciolecia (10th-Anniversary Stadium), which was ironically built using rubble and debris from buildings destroyed in World War II. Though it once held 70,000 spectators, it was eventually abandoned and replaced by the current stadium in 2012 for the UEFA European Championship. Even during its construction, workers unearthed wartime artifacts, including military helmets, bullets, and remains of trenches. The stadium today stands as a modern sporting hub, but beneath it lies a battlefield frozen in time, where thousands fought and died for Poland’s independence. Built Over: WWII Battlefields & the Ruins of an Old Stadium.