Luzhniki Stadium, Moscow

Address
Luzhnetskaia Naberezhnaia
24, Moscow, 119270

Information
The Luzhniki Stadium was built in just one year before completion in 1956. It stands as the focal point of the Luzhniki sports complex, a 160-hectare site sitting adjacent to the Moskva river. Complex includes facilities for swimming, tennis, gymnastics figure skating and football. The Luzhniki Stadium has a retractable transparent roof and has a seat capacity 86,000 spectators. A statue of Lenin standing before the stadium still for many the communist name of 'Lenin Stadium' still stands. -The Grand Sports Arena is also one of the few major European stadiums to use an artificial pitch, as it installed a FieldTurf pitch in 2002. FieldTurf is the best-known of the newest breed of artificial surfaces that offers more grass-like playing characteristics, and is approved by FIFA and UEFA for top-level competitions. The pitch is necessary for the cold Russian climate, as regular grass pitches are often destroyed during a typical winter and must be replaced at high cost. However, natural grass will be installed for the 2008 Champions League Final.