The Great Strahov Stadium () is a stadium in the Strahov district of Prague, Czech Republic. It was built for displays of synchronized gymnastics on a massive scale, with a field three times as long as and three times as wide as the standard Association football pitch. Its capacity of 250,000 spectators (56,000 seated) made it larger than any current or former sports stadium, and the second largest sports venue ever. the stadium is no longer in use for competitive sports events; it is a training centre for Sparta Prague, and used to host pop and rock concerts. The stadium is sited on Petřín Hill overlooking the old city. It can be accessed by taking the Petřín funicular up the hill through the gardens, or by taking tram lines 22, 23 or 25 to Malovanka station. Construction Construction began based on plans by the architect Alois Dryák, on a wooden stadium in 1926, which was replaced by concrete grandstands in 1932. Further construction occurred in 1948 and 1975. The playing field, surrounded by seating on all sides, is 63,500 square metres. The stadium currently serves Sparta Prague as a training centre with 8 football pitches (6 pitches of standard sizes and 2 futsal pitches). History The original stadium dates from the First Republic between the World Wars and served as a venue for popular Sokol displays of massive synchronized gymnastics. Construction of the first stadium began in 1926 on the current ground plan for the VIII.-Všesokolský slet. The stadium was modernized in 1932 for the IX.-Všesokolský slet. Both of these displays were attended by Czechoslovak President T. G. Masaryk, who had been a member of Sokol since he was thirteen, on his horse Hektor. The largest attendance was recorded in 1938 on the occasion of the jubilee "World anti-war" X.-Všesokolský slet. A few months after the end of World War II in Europe, two units of the United States Army played an exhibition game of American football. On September 28, 1945, a crowd of 40,000 watched soldier-athletes of the 94th Infantry Division defeat a team from the XXII Corps, by a score of 6–0. XI.-Všesokolský slet in 1948 was used as a protest against rising communism. Soon after, the Sokol was dissolved and followed Spartakiades. The Sokol displays were renamed Spartakiads during the communist era. The Spartakiads also took place in the Soviet Union, East Germany and Albania. Performances with