BJK İnönü Stadium

BJK İnönü Stadium, originally named the Dolmabahçe Stadium, was designed by Italian architect Paolo Vietti-Violi, who collaborated with Turkish architects Şinasi Şahingiray and Fazıl Aysu for the project. The ground of Dolmabahçe Palace's stable was chosen as the location to build the stadium. The first foundation was laid on 19 May 1939, but construction work was halted due to the outbreak of the Second World War. The stadium was eventually inaugurated on 19 May 1947, by İsmet İnönü, the second President of Turkey and himself a Beşiktaş fan, and Lütfi Kırdar, the Governor of Istanbul. The initial capacity was 16,000. In the original project plan, there were two bronze statues of athlete figures at the Eski Açık stand, one throwing a discus, and the other throwing a javelin. However, the statues were never built due to financial concerns. The oil factory which was found behind the stadium was demolished to construct the Yeni Açık stand at the west part of the stadium in 1950. Yeni Açık was eventually covered with a separate roof structure in 2004. Galatasaray and Fenerbahçe shared the stadium with Beşiktaş for many years, until the construction of the Ali Sami Yen Stadium in 1964, and the renovation of Şükrü Saracoğlu Stadium in 1982. The first football match at the Dolmabahçe Stadium took place between Beşiktaş and AIK Stockholm of Sweden, on 27 November 1947. The first goal in the stadium was scored by Süleyman Seba, the most famous and longest-presiding Chairman of the club, when he was a player at Beşiktaş. Beşiktaş lost this match 3 to 2. In 1952, the stadium was renamed as Mithat Paşa Stadium, and later in 1973, it was renamed as İnönü Stadium. The stadium was demolished except for the walls of the Eski Açık stand and its historical towers in order to build a new stadium for Beşiktaş at the same location, which opened as Vodafone Park in 2016.

İnönü Stadium was a football stadium in Istanbul, Turkey and the home ground of the football club Beşiktaş. Previously, the ground had also been shared with Galatasaray and Fenerbahçe. The ground was located in Dolmabahçe, close to Dolmabahçe Palace in the district of Beşiktaş, on the European side of Istanbul. The all-seater stadium had the capacity to host 32,145 spectators. Before the stadium became an all-seater, the ground's capacity was over 39,000. The Bosphorus, Dolmabahçe Palace, Dolmabahçe Clock Tower, Dolmabahçe Mosque, and Maiden's Tower were all viewable from the top rows of the Yeni Açık stand of the stadium, which made it the only stadium in the world from which a football fan could view two continents, Europe and Asia, which are separated by the Bosphorus strait. BJK İnönü Stadium had four stands. The Kapalı stand which was parallel to the pitch at the north side could hold up to 5,881 supporters. It was regarded as the heart of the stadium, traditionally housing the most fanatical supporters. There were two towers on the left and right side of the Eski Açık stands that have been incorporated into the design of Vodafone Park, the current home of Beşiktaş. The stadium was originally named the Dolmabahçe Stadium and was designed by Italian architect Paolo Vietti-Violi. The first foundation was laid on 19 May 1939, but construction work was halted due to the outbreak of the Second World War. The stadium was eventually inaugurated on 19 May 1947, by İsmet İnönü, the second President of Turkey and himself a Beşiktaş fan. The first football match took place between Beşiktaş and AIK Stockholm of Sweden, on 27 November 1947. The first goal in the stadium was scored by Süleyman Seba, the most famous and longest-presiding Chairman of the club, when he was a player at Beşiktaş.