Swiss perspectives in 10 languages

The year in sound: Out with a bang

The Wankdorf met a spectacular end in August Keystone Archive

In the last trawl of the year through swissinfo's audio archives, we mark the end of an era with the detonation of Bern's historic Wankdorf stadium.

Originally built in 1924, the 77-year-old ground was renovated in time to host the 1954 World Cup finals, and as the site of Germany’s first ever World Cup win, the stadium held memories for more than just Swiss football fans.

But it was the supporters of Bern side Young Boys who called the Wankdorf their home and many of the team’s followers were in the 4,000-strong crowd that turned out in August to see the old stadium bite the dust.

The detonation will not end the site’s association with football, however. By 2005, a new 31,000-seat arena is due to take the place of the old Wankdorf.

Click on the link below to hear more

In compliance with the JTI standards

More: SWI swissinfo.ch certified by the Journalism Trust Initiative

You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!

If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.

SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR

SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR