North of central Munich, the Allianz Arena rises from the Fröttmaning district as one of the city’s most recognizable modern buildings. It opened in 2005 as a stadium designed specifically for football, rather than a multipurpose venue adapted from another sport. Its distinctive exterior is made from inflated ETFE panels that can be illuminated in different colors, so the approach to the ground can feel very different on a match night than in daylight.
The project followed a public referendum in Munich in which 65.8 percent of voters supported the stadium proposal. Construction began after the foundation stone was laid on 21 October 2002; the completed arena was handed over on 30 April 2005. The official project history describes a build that took under three years. These dates help place the ground in a period when Munich was preparing for a new generation of football events and a new home for its leading clubs.
