Gazprom Arena is the most expensive Russian football stadium, located in St. Petersburg. This football arena has other names:

• St. Petersburg "Zenit Arena";
• St. Petersburg "Zenith" or "Zenit" stadium;
• Krestovsky Stadium;
• "Saint Petersburg".

The general designer of the Gazprom Arena stadium was an architect from Japan, Kisho Kurokawa. The area of ​​the Zenit Arena stadium, taking into account all the premises, is almost 290 thousand m², and the roll-out football field is about 10 thousand m². However, according to the original project, the area of ​​the St. Petersburg arena should be smaller.

The Zenit Arena stadium is a landmark of St. Petersburg, which is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful buildings on Krestovsky Island. It has a retractable dome, the diameter of which is about 290 meters. The dome of the St. Petersburg football arena rests on masts. There are 8 such masts in total. The evening view of the stadium attracts with its unusual design - from a distance the arena resembles a flying saucer, from which multi-colored light emanates.

How the name was chosen for the Zenit Arena stadium

From the moment the first stone was laid during construction until 2018, the Gazprom Arena stadium had many different names. The key points in choosing a name for the arena are as follows:

1. FSZCHKO or “Football stadium in the western part of Krestovsky Island” - this was the name the stadium had at the time the construction of the Gazprom Arena was underway. Initially, it was decided that the official name would be assigned only after the object was completely finished.
2. Due to the fact that the St. Petersburg football club Zenit and the Gazprom company expressed a desire to participate in the construction of the future Krestovsky stadium, the arena was planned to be named one of the following options: Gazprom Arena, Zenit or Zenit Arena .
3. By the end of winter 2010, it became known that the Government of St. Petersburg would make a final decision regarding the name of the future stadium only after the arena was put into operation.
4. “St. Petersburg” is exactly the name FIFA proposed in the fall of 2015 for the St. Petersburg stadium under construction. However, at the end of April of the same year, the Toponymic Commission of St. Petersburg chose a different name for the football arena - “Krestovsky”. A year later, it was confirmed that the most expensive football arena in Russia will be named after the island on which it is located - the stadium was named “Krestovsky”.
5. However, after the approval of the official name for Gazprom Arena, during some events taking place in this arena, the stadium was called differently. For example, it is known that during the Confederations Cup (in 2017) and the World Cup (in 2018), the new stadium on Krestovsky Island was called “St. Petersburg”.
6. At the beginning of December 2018, the most expensive Russian stadium changed its old official name “Krestovsky” to a new one - “Gazprom Arena”.

Cost of the Zenit Arena stadium

The St. Petersburg stadium on Krestovsky Island is one of the longest-under-construction and most expensive Russian football arenas.

At first it was decided that the Gazprom company would allocate funds for construction, but then information appeared that the money for the construction of the Zenit Arena would be taken from the city budget. It was also known that the cost of construction increased from the original 6.7 billion rubles to 14 billion.

Between the end of summer 2008 and December 2016, 42 billion rubles have already been spent on the construction of a new St. Petersburg football arena. The cost of the facility under construction was affected by amendments to the project to comply with FIFA requirements.

At the beginning of 2017, the cost of construction of the stadium increased to almost 44 billion rubles. However, according to some reports, it is known that the Gazprom Arena stadium costs more than 44 billion rubles. The media mentioned such amounts as 48 billion and 50 billion rubles.

How many years did it take to build the Zenit Arena stadium?

The deadline for the stadium's completion has been pushed back many times. Construction of the arena began in 2007 and was supposed to end in 2009, but this did not happen. The stadium was put into operation only at the end of 2016, that is, 9 years after the start of construction. And the opening of the St. Petersburg stadium took place at the end of April 2017.

Chronology of the construction of the Zenit Arena stadium

The construction of the Krestovsky Stadium can be divided into stages by year:

2006- this year the old stadium named after S. M. Kirov was demolished for the future construction of the Zenit Arena.

2007- after the excavation work to partially dismantle the hill was completed, the first stone was laid.

2008- the Krestovsky project was ready, but in November the contractor and the St. Petersburg construction committee signed an agreement to terminate the contract due to the fact that the project had become more expensive. But thanks to the fact that the necessary funds were later allocated by decision of the budget and finance committee of the Legislative Assembly, construction of the arena was resumed at the end of that year.

year 2009- at the end of this year it was revealed that the Zenit Arena stadium under construction does not meet FIFA standards - the complaints were mostly regarding the layout of the premises under the stands, as well as the configuration of the stands. Because of this, construction on the third level of the arena was stopped until the identified inconsistencies in the project were corrected.

2010- construction on the third level of the stadium was resumed thanks to a new general designer, who made the necessary changes to the project to comply with FIFA standards. After amendments were made to the project, the area of ​​Zenit Arena increased from 170 thousand to 260 thousand m². The number of spectator seats has also increased. However, this entailed an increase in the cost of the object.

2015- by August of this year, the construction of the Krestovsky stadium was approximately 76% completed and the dismantling of the fixed roof was completed. The installation of the thermal system was completed in September. Work was underway to install seats, as well as to decorate the appearance of the arena stands.

2016- in March, the readiness of St. Petersburg Zenit was 84%. The facade work was almost completed, and the arena was put into operation in December.

Capacity of the Gazprom Arena stadium

The exact number of spectators that Krestovsky can accommodate is unknown. However, during construction, the developer’s website contained information that the future Zenit Arena stadium would have 80 thousand seats for spectators during various concerts and theatrical events. And also 68 thousand spectator seats at football matches.

In addition, it is known that in 2018, during the Russia-Finland hockey match (Channel One Cup), the stadium was visited by 81 thousand people.

Gazprom Arena can also be visited by people with disabilities, for whom there are special places. Thus, out of 560 places for the disabled, 266 places are intended for those who cannot walk and use a wheelchair.

Location of St. Petersburg Zenit stadium

The Zenit Arena stadium is located on Krestovsky Island, where the stadium named after S. M. Kirov was previously located. The stadium address is easy to remember: Football Alley, building 1 (St. Petersburg, Russia).

Only two and a half months remain before the start of the main football festival of this year - the final part of the FIFA World Cup, matches of which will be held in 11 cities of Russia. One of the host cities will be St. Petersburg. The brand new St. Petersburg Arena will host four group stage matches, as well as one game each of the 1/8 and 1/2 finals and a match for third place - a total of seven meetings.

The friendly match between the national teams of Russia and France became another training session for all services ensuring order and security during the event. A journalist from our editorial team attended the game as an ordinary spectator and offers some advice to those who have not yet been to the stadium, but are planning to go to the next matches of the Russian Championship or World Cup games.

Tip one: think through the route to the stadium and back in advance

The St. Petersburg Stadium (unofficially Zenit Arena or Krestovsky) is located in the Western part of Krestovsky Island at Football Alley, 1. The stadium can be reached in several ways. I would like to say right away that the most convenient way to approach the object is on foot. The easiest option is to get to the Krestovsky Ostrov metro station and walk 2.5 kilometers directly through the park along the Battery Road. The walk from the metro station to the stadium will take 25-30 minutes.

Another option is suitable if you visit the Piterland shopping and entertainment complex, built on the edge of the mainland of the Primorsky district. Buses run to the shopping center from the Staraya Derevnya and Chernaya Rechka metro stations. Getting to Piterland itself is not very convenient, but the walk from it to the stadium via the pedestrian Yachtny Bridge will take about 20 minutes.

On match days, you can also get to the arena by free buses, which are commonly called “shuttles”. They run for two hours before the start of the game towards Krestovsky Island and for two hours after its end. “Shuttles” make it possible to avoid a transport collapse after a match, when the operation of the Krestovsky Ostrov metro station is temporarily limited. Free buses transport thousands of spectators to the Chkalovskaya metro station. On the day of the match between Russia and France, several dozen shuttles were operating. Their stops are located next to the Vyborgskaya (red line), Petrogradskaya (blue line) and Chkalovskaya (purple line) metro stations.

Of course, you can get to the place by personal car, but this will be difficult. In the adjacent territory there are paid two-tier covered parking lots, encircling the stadium from south to north, but there are no free ones. Paid parking allows you to park your vehicle near the arena, and the journey from the car to the fan seat will take from 5 to 15 minutes. Only for paid parking it is necessary to purchase a subscription in advance either at the sales office or through the official website of FC Zenit. Currently you cannot buy passes through the website. Apparently they have all been sold out a long time ago. However, it is not necessary to drive directly to the stadium. If you try, you can leave the car in the eastern part of Krestovsky Island and walk 3-4 kilometers on foot in about 40-45 minutes.

Tip two: read the list of prohibited things

During World Cup matches, all access areas should be in operation, but the flow of people into the 68,000-seat stadium will be large every time. At Zenit's matches alone, there were sold-outs several times. The framed passage area is preceded by a labyrinth constructed of metal fences. To save space, it is advisable not to take backpacks and bulky bags with you. In addition, if you do not have hand luggage, you can avoid several nervous minutes of interrogation by a security officer who will definitely ask you to see its contents. You can also save a minute or two if you immediately remove your mobile phone and other metal objects from your pockets before passing through the control frame.

During the matches of the 2017 Confederations Cup, which became a rehearsal for the home World Cup, the press service of its organizing committee published a list of items prohibited in the arenas. Krestovsky was also among the host stadiums, so restrictions apply there as well. As a result, the following items are not allowed to be brought into matches: food and drinks, liquids in containers larger than 100 ml, thermoses and flasks, pyrotechnics, perfumes and compacts, any sports equipment and umbrellas larger than 25 cm when folded. A separate list includes professional audio, photo and video equipment: voice recorders, photo and video cameras, tripods, drones and even selfie sticks.

Remember: the sooner you go through the control and inspection point, the more nerves you will save for yourself and the employee working at the stadium. And you will allow other fans who are nervously standing in line behind you to pass faster.

Tip three: eat a big meal before the game

As we have already found out, food and liquids whose volume exceeds 100 ml cannot be brought into the stadium. Of course, you can try to put a Snickers or other energy bar in your pocket, but you can’t do it every time, they might take it away. The most correct decision in this situation is to eat a hearty meal before going to the match. If a bright game whets your appetite, then during the break at Krestovsky you can look into one of the six food stalls located along the stands.

Prices, by the standards of an ordinary Petrozavodsk resident, are, of course, steep: 100 rubles for half a liter of water and any other drink, and for various snacks the receipt will cost 150-300 rubles per unit. The menu offers regular fast food to choose from, such as burgers or rolls. Since the time of Petrovsky, many fans have loved buying hot corn; they also sell it at the Zenit Arena. Moment of celebration: with food purchased at the stadium, you can go up to the stands, only first the attentive stewards will ask you to pour the liquid from the bottle into the cardboard glass that comes with the drink.

Tip four: think about your clothes

This is the case when you want to warn not that there is a “dubak” at the stadium. On the contrary, the stadium of FC Zenit is very warm even in winter due to the covered roof. It felt like it was about +15 degrees on the field and in the stands at the end of March. There was no intensity of passion on the lawn during the match between Russia and France, but it was still warm and cozy in the fan’s chair.

Video

At the St. Petersburg stadium, the roof is retractable, so in the summer, if the weather is good, it is opened so that the spectators do not suffocate, and closed during rain and wind. It's funny that the roof has its own Twitter account with an audience of one and a half thousand. The roof informs whether it will be closed or not.

Tip five: don’t slow down – and there won’t be any problems

The last tip summarizes all the previous ones. If you calculate possible scenarios in advance and assess the risks, then there should be no difficulties during your trip. There are many negative comments on the Internet about the poor organization of work at the entrance and exit of the stadium, but most people create obstacles for themselves.

The game between Russia and France was attended by 51,165 spectators. Of course, if all the people gather for the game at the last moment, then crowds will be inevitable. Therefore, entrance to the stands usually opens two hours before the start of matches. Another thing is that this match was held on a weekday, and most spectators barely made it to the stadium by 19:00, taking into account St. Petersburg transport realities.

The bus with fans from Petrozavodsk arrived an hour before the start of the game, in half an hour the majority managed to quickly walk to the arena and in 15-20 minutes go through all the steps at the entrance without any problems. When leaving the stadium, in order to avoid the crowd, it was necessary to go to the middle or far stairs, because the main flow of people always chooses the nearest descent. By the way, volunteers informed about this, who constantly repeated into a megaphone instructions for leaving the arena and leaving Krestovsky Island.

Remember: everything is in your hands. To truly enjoy football, you need not only a great game on the field, but also a little self-organization and discipline. Situations vary. You shouldn’t always hope for a good organization; there are always emergency situations. If they are anticipated, in many cases they can be overlooked or the consequences can be mitigated.

Big projects always arouse equally great interest. Many, without really understanding it, begin to scold them. It's the easiest thing! Others, turning their heads a little, admire the engineering and technical solutions. The Zenit Arena stadium under construction in St. Petersburg did not escape this fate. The project is complex, expensive, but incredibly interesting from a technical standpoint. And some of the solutions used at the stadium are simply unique.

I had the opportunity to spend one day at a construction site and was repeatedly surprised by many interesting moments. But first, a little history.

From 1950 to 2006 in St. Petersburg on Krestovsky Island there was a stadium named after. Kirov. It was one of the largest stadiums in the world - it was the largest in the entire Soviet Union, Russia and Europe.

The last official match on that field was played on July 6, 2006, and by the end of 2006 the stadium was dismantled in order to begin construction of a new and almost the most expensive stadium in the world on the same site. The project budget is approximately 35 billion rubles.

And construction began...

During 2007, the pile field was completed and the earthworks were completely completed. In 2008, the project was ready, it passed the state examination, but due to various conflicts, construction was stopped.

In December 2008, construction work was resumed. But already in December 2009, after checking the stadium project for compliance with FIFA requirements, it became clear that, according to a number of criteria, the stadium already under construction did not meet these standards. The main complaints were made about the configuration of the stands (ensuring comfortable visibility, the location of hatches) and the layout of the sub-tribune rooms, which were divided by thick walls into small compartments. There were practically no halls or open spaces inside. To correct the identified deficiencies, in April 2010, a new general designer was brought in - Mosproekt-4, which has extensive experience in designing sports facilities (for example, the Lokomotiv stadium in Moscow).

The layout of the premises under the stands and the configuration of the stands were brought in accordance with the FIFA requirements for stadiums of this level. Large halls and free spaces appeared, and places were found to accommodate additional cafes and bars at all levels of the stadium. Due to the changes being made, construction was stopped again in December 2009 and resumed in full in August 2010.

Since 2008, construction has been carried out by Inzhtransstroy, part of the Transstroy structure.

The new stadium will host World Cup matches in 2018. Including the semi-finals. The final match will take place in Luzhniki. It is planned that by the time construction is completed, the stadium will become one of the most technologically advanced and sophisticated sports facilities in Europe. There will be no athletics tracks on it and it will be intended only for football matches.

Let's take a look at this engineering marvel. I will reveal several technical solutions that are worth focusing on:
- roll-out football field;
- a huge reinforced concrete bridge with a span of 100 meters on which the stand is located;
- sliding roof.

And stopping construction was only beneficial. During this time, the pile field has stabilized and now it no longer produces sediment. There is another story connected with him. The fact is that the first general contractor (Avant) overdid it a little with the piles, and there were more of them than necessary. As a result, the bearing capacity of the field turned out to be twice as large as planned according to the project. In general, a dark story happened with them... But then, when the project was changed, it played into the hands - the new stadium project and all the changes fit perfectly into the limits of weights and loads. It was only necessary to strengthen the grillages under the stadium bowl.

Well, enough introductions, it's time to watch!

1. Beautiful view from the Primorsky district. The stadium itself resembles a flying saucer. By the way, it has a specially aerodynamic shape, since wind loads especially had to be taken into account here.

2. The stadium will host all the main cultural events and concerts of St. Petersburg. And imagine some rock concert at this stadium...

3. The negative angle of the facade, although beautiful, imposes special standards for design and calculations. Also, nothing should fall off from this façade in the event of a fire to ensure the evacuation of spectators. In general, the closest attention is paid to fire regulations and safety at the stadium.

4. In terms of area, this is the largest stadium in Eastern Europe.

5. Due to the fact that weather conditions in St. Petersburg are unfavorable for grass growth in winter, and the city is the northernmost of the Premier League, the authors of the project made an architectural decision in which the stadium field will extend beyond its boundaries, and the roof will be retractable to cover the field during bad weather and the cold season. The field itself will live outside, blown by the sea wind. In cold weather it will be in the greenhouse. But most importantly, the natural lawn will receive the necessary sunlight to grow. And inside the stadium, without a football field, you can hold concerts, exhibitions and other public events without fear of damaging the lawn.

6. The original design of the stadium was made of German steel. But then they decided to save money and make everything from reinforced concrete. But we were faced with the fact that the stadium structures, when using concrete, became much thicker and the architectural design did not fit into the existing structure. We had to do exorbitant reinforcement of the structures, but it still turned out cheaper than using imported steel. Now the stadium bowl is completely ready, and the metal roof structure is one third complete.

7. An unusual method was used to install 22,000 tons of metal roof structures. Usually temporary support structures are created and installation is carried out on them. But this method does not provide the necessary accuracy and, most importantly, it requires two 700-ton cranes. But they didn’t want to fit in the stadium.

8. Therefore, we decided to mount all the roof segments on a slipway using tower cranes in one place, and then move them along guide rails to the design position. This method is more complicated and requires more temporary structures, but ultimately provides the highest assembly accuracy and time savings.

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9. While it’s difficult to see what will happen in the clutter of building structures, the renderings allow it.

10. Stadium in football configuration.

11. The decision was very controversial and it met with many opponents. But the installation of the roof that began showed that this was the right path.

12. Each column of the temporary structure has a unique design and mounting in the bowl. Some columns are placed directly on the stands, but most pierce them to the required level.

13. The highlight of the stadium is the bridge that allows the field to be rolled out onto the street. The span of the flat floor is more than 100 meters! This is a unique prestressed concrete structure. The maximum standard deflection of the bottom slab of the bridge along its central axis (in the middle of the span) is 210 mm, and the design deflection is 87 mm. On this bridge there is a stand with a fan section (this means jumping and other football joys) and part of the roof. Essentially, it's like a piece of pie that is cut off from the rest of the structure and lives its own life.

14. There will be no bars, restaurants or other premises inside the stands in this sector. Only rigid diaphragms and small rooms.

15. Now the bridge is completely ready. No, it's actually surprising. It would be nice if it were a vault, I still understand. But a flat ceiling with such tolerances... Fantastic.

16. And this is the design of a football field. Its weight is about 7.8 thousand tons. Initially it was assumed that the structure would be pushed under the stadium by hydraulics, but this was slow, difficult and unreliable. As a result, this part was also redesigned - the entire football field will be slightly raised on an air cushion, relieving part of the load on the rollers. And then electric motors move the field for several hours. Unlike half a day in the case of hydraulic pushers.

17. On the northern stand there is a slipway where the roof segments are assembled.

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18. Another feature of the stadium will be a single control center. All information about the stadium, the movement of people, traffic congestion on highways, etc. will flow here.

19. A video surveillance system will be installed at the stadium, which in real time allows you to track any spectator from the entrance security cordons to his place in the stands. The system immediately identifies his ticket, his portrait and his track record as a fan.

20. There will be a smoke removal and fire extinguishing system under the roof. All this is also, of course, unique. In the case of a fire extinguishing system, it can act very locally. If someone carried a fire (suddenly) and lit it, then the system recognizes the place (accordingly, we calculate who it is), a water cloud is created around the place from sprayers, and water is supplied from above from a firefighter to this particular person. Complete space, in short.

21. A reconstructed fountain that was near the Kirov stadium.

22. But, it’s time to go up to the slipway. See the slanted gray thing? This is the pylon on which the roof will rest, in addition to the walls. The truss under the pylon is a temporary structure for the period of roof installation.

23. Primorsky district.

24. The entrance lobby was not completely restored, but partially: the pavilions themselves were restored, and the fountain and staircase were reconstructed.

25. Now the first two segments have been assembled and are slowly moving to their place on the south stand. But due to the fact that the bridge was completed there recently, now we have to wait until the guide rails are installed, along which the segments move.

26. Some kind of grandiose kingdom of truss structures and metal.

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27. On the slipway, the segments are assembled with the highest precision. Next, they are prepared for transportation, where they are joined with already completed and installed roof segments. Essentially, it will be a bagel. And in the center there is a sliding roof segment.

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28. Without reading below, try to guess how the segments slide along the guides?

29. Close-up of the pylon. His negative angle of work raised many questions. It would be more logical to make it positive, that is, it would then look outward. But modern methods of calculation and modeling make it possible to implement very bold projects.

30. Initially, the roof rested only on these pylons, but in the end they came to the conclusion that this was too risky and decided to transfer part of the load to the stadium bowl.

31. Cardan, which transmits forces from the cables to the segment. The fact is that the segment moves along a curve, and the force from the jack is applied only straight.

32. To install the roof, two “rail” tracks were built.

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33. Jack. Surprisingly very modest.

34. It was decided to build the Novokrestovskaya metro station on the Nevsko-Vasileostrovskaya line, which by 2017-2018 will become an intermediate station between the Primorskaya and Ulitsa Savushkina stations. They say that work will begin this year.

35. And here is the answer about friction. Sliding is provided by fluoroplastic sheets.

36. Just add a new one and the structure weighing from 621 to 1113 tons glides like butter.

37. The beauty of joints and bolts.

38. Construction of the Western High-Speed ​​Diameter. By the way, there will be parking around the stadium with only 4,000 spaces. With a stadium capacity of 68,000 seats, this means everyone will have to travel by public transport.

39. And several renderings of the stadium. Look how beautiful it will be.

Finally, a little story about the name. The fact is that the stadium does not have an official name. It has yet to be approved by the Toponymic Commission. And the name “Zenit Arena” stuck with the light hand of the builders.

The construction of the Zenit Arena stadium is the longest undertaking in Russian football. The long-term construction began in 2007 and has not yet been completed, the deadline for the completion of the project is constantly being postponed, and the cost is growing day by day. Encouraging statements from contractors and managers about the construction of the stadium regularly appear in the newspapers.

Zenit is already waiting for a new arena, but the players cannot influence the speed of construction in any way. So, let's fast forward ten years ago, when the idea of ​​building a new stadium first appeared.

2005 year

In March 2005, information appeared that the Kirov Arena on Krestovsky Island would be demolished, and in its place the construction of a stadium would begin from scratch. Zenit was still far from the UEFA Cup and the Hulk in the lineup. Management announced that the new arena would cost one hundred and fifty million dollars and have a capacity of 50 thousand spectators.

Already in April, the concept of the future stadium appeared. The basis was Old Trafford. This idea was later criticized by Demit Momot, who considered the open stadium unsuitable for the Russian climate. Six months later, management announced that the construction of the Zenit Arena stadium already costs $250 million.

2006

In January, the organizers of the construction promised to commission the Gazprom Arena (as they planned to call the stadium) by 2009. Even then, analysts predicted repeated postponements. In April, the vice-governor of St. Petersburg promised that construction of the Zenit Arena stadium would start at the end of this year.

In the summer of 2006, the arena project, which was developed by a Japanese company, was presented. The structure was supposed to have a roof in the shape of a spaceship with the possibility of heating. The project cost was $225 million. At the end of the year, a builder was identified. It was the company SINTEZ-SUI LLC, which promised to build the Zenit Arena stadium for 6.7 billion rubles.

2007

In March, Valentina Matvienko said that construction would be completed by the end and the team would spend the next season at the new stadium. A month later, the governor of St. Petersburg said that the Zenit Arena stadium would receive a retractable field, which would cost additional money. In September, the lieutenant governor gave a statement in which he indicated that construction was ahead of schedule. He promised that the arena would be ready in December 2008.

2008

In March he reported that the construction of a new stadium could become more expensive. Gazprom was brought in for additional investment. A month later, Alexander Dyukov made it clear that in 2009 he would not see the new stadium of FC Zenit. The deadline for delivery was presumably moved to 2010. In addition, the cost of construction now amounts to 13-14 billion rubles.

In the middle of summer there was another increase in the price of the Zenit Arena stadium. Now the price was a whopping 23.7 billion rubles. Management promised a capacity of 62,000 people. At the end of the year, it was announced that the construction would be carried out by the Inzhtransstroy company, which signed a contract for 13.2 billion rubles.

year 2009

In April, information appeared in the media that in 2010 the famous Metallica would perform at the opening of the stadium. In December, the arena under construction was inspected and it was found that it did not meet FIFA requirements. There were complaints about the location of the stands and the rooms under the stands.

2010

In February 2010, they decided to make the stadium more spacious (67,000), which affected its cost. Due to budget adjustments in April, construction timelines are increasing again. Because of this, the cost rises again. At the end of the year, the president of Zenit announced the completion of the redesign of the arena. The new capacity will be 68,000 people.

2011

In January, Glavgosexpertiza orders the dismantling of the arena's already constructed roof, which leads to additional costs and postponement of completion. Now the total cost of construction is already a cosmic 33 billion rubles. In October, the roof was demolished again, which the customer did not like. In November, delivery of the finished arena is scheduled for 2013. The cost increased to 40 billion rubles.

year 2013

At the beginning of the year it was published that the stadium was 34.4% ready. In February, the Investigative Committee begins to investigate a case of fraud related to the construction of the arena. The case involves the first contractor and the amount of 500 million rubles.

In March, the construction management promises to commission the arena in the summer of 2016. In the summer it turns out that the construction of the Zenit Arena stadium, which will host matches at the home 2018 World Cup, is only 35% complete.

year 2014

In April, the exact date for the commissioning of the facility was set - June 15, 2016. The vice-governor ruled out an increase in the cost and named the figure at 34.9 billion rubles.

2015

In March, the case of the theft of 145 million rubles was closed. The reason is the expiration of the statute of limitations. In November it was announced that Zenit would play the first match at the new arena in September 2016. A month later, the date was again moved to December.

2016

In February, the contractor asks to increase the construction amount to 35.3 billion rubles. In the summer, 144.5 million rubles are lost, which were intended for the installation of a video board. Information has emerged that workers are not receiving wages. On July 13, according to the general contractor, there was an attempted raider takeover. He did not rule out that in this way the city administration is trying to delay the completion of the facility.

In 2010, Metallica was supposed to perform at the Zenit arena

According to Mikhail Zhvanetsky, repairs cannot be completed - only stopped. Perhaps the most striking example of this is the construction of Krestovsky.

As the famous satirist Mikhail Zhvanetsky used to say, repairs cannot be completed - only stopped. Perhaps the most striking example of this is the construction of a stadium on Krestovsky Island. We present the chronology of the construction of the most high-profile football long-term construction in Russia - from the idea of ​​​​creation to the present day.

March 2005 “The Kirov Stadium in St. Petersburg will be demolished”
The first reports about the construction of a new arena on the site of the stadium. CM. Kirov, located on Krestovsky Island, appeared more than 10 years ago. Then we were talking about a stadium, the approximate cost of which would be $ 150 million, and the capacity would be 50,000 spectators.

April 2005 “Zenith’s new stadium will be built according to the Manchester model”
The concept of the future stadium has been unveiled. It was assumed that the prototype for it would be the arena project in Manchester, created by the English company Arup. General Director of State Unitary Enterprise "Stadium named after. CM. Kirov" Demid Momot later criticized the idea of ​​an open stadium in Russian climatic conditions. And then a member of the board of OJSC Gazprom Valery Golubev reported that the stadium in Dortmund could become a model for the stadium. The management of Gazprom JSC also clarified the cost of construction. Over six months, the figure grew by almost 70% – to $250 million.

January 2006 The stadium is promised to be built by 2009

According to the head of the St. Petersburg Sports Committee, Vyacheslav Chazov, he is 1,000,000% sure that the Gazprom Arena (that’s what it was supposed to be called) will appear on the site of the stadium. Kirov by 2009. However, experts predict that these deadlines will be pushed back repeatedly.

April 2006 When will construction start?
According to the Vice-Governor of St. Petersburg Alexander Vakhmistrov, construction of a new stadium for Zenit will begin at the end of 2006, immediately after the dismantling of the Kirov Stadium, which is planned to be completed in November. “At the same time, we plan to sign a construction agreement with the general contractor,” Vakhmistrov said.

July 2006 Projects for a new stadium in St. Petersburg presented
An exhibition of developed architectural solutions (pre-design proposals) for the stadium has opened in St. Petersburg. It presented projects developed by the winners of the first stage of the competition, including Kisho Kurokawa architect & associates (Japan).

The Japanese proposed a stadium project shaped like a spaceship. The roof, measuring 200x90 meters, is made of polymer material, supported by metal masts and equipped with a special mechanism that blows hot air, which helps melt the snow. The Japanese estimated the cost of their construction at just over $225 million. It was this project that was highlighted among others by the former president of Zenit, Sergei Fursenko.

December 2006 The builder of the new FC Zenit stadium became known
The builder of the stadium was the St. Petersburg company SINTEZ-SUI LLC, which offered to carry out all the work for 6 billion 664 million 308 thousand 170 rubles.

March 2007 “Zenith Stadium will be built before the end of 2008”
At a meeting with the participation of the Governor of St. Petersburg Valentina Matvienko It was announced that the construction of the arena on Krestovsky Island would end on December 30, 2008, and next season the team would be able to play home matches at the new stadium. At the same time, the project’s customers still haven’t decided what kind of sports arena to make – retractable or non-retractable. “Based on the difficult weather conditions in St. Petersburg, experts believe that a retractable field can greatly increase the cost of the project, but not give the effect we want. We need to weigh everything,” Matvienko said.

April 2007 Matvienko: at the new Zenit stadium the field will be retractable
Governor of St. Petersburg Valentina Matvienko said that the new Zenit football stadium on Krestovsky Island will have a retractable field. No comments needed.

September 2007 “Construction of the Zenit stadium is ahead of schedule”
Vice-Governor of St. Petersburg Alexander Vakhmistrov told reporters that the construction of the new Zenit stadium on Krestovsky Island is ahead of schedule: “The end of the construction period has not changed, approximately December 2008. We hope that Zenit will play the first matches of the 2009 season at the new stadium.”

March 2008 “Gazprom will be asked for money for a new stadium for Zenit”
President of the RFU Vitaly Mutko reported that construction of the arena may become more expensive. To implement the project, Gazprom may be attracted as an additional investor.

April 2008 “The commissioning of the new Zenit stadium has been postponed for a year”
“The stadium is unlikely to be put into operation in 2009,” says the president of Zenit. Alexander Dyukov. - In the future, maybe in 2010. At the moment, the project to build a stadium on Krestovsky costs approximately 13-14 billion rubles, instead of the previously announced 6.67 billion. This is due to rising prices for the cost of work and materials, as well as the characteristics of the soil. In addition, the price included the dismantling of the old Kirov Stadium.”

July 2008 “The new Zenit stadium has risen in price by 3.5 times”
After the estimate was approved, the price of the new football arena in St. Petersburg increased 3.5 times to 23.7 billion rubles. It is reported that if there is not enough budget money, Gazprom, which controls FC Zenit, will join in the financing. According to the official estimate prepared by Glavgosexpertiza, the football stadium on Krestovsky Island will cost 23.7 billion rubles. Now it is planned to increase the arena's capacity to 62,000 spectators.

December 2008 “Inzhtransstroy will undertake the construction of the Zenit stadium”
In November last year, the St. Petersburg Construction Committee terminated the government contract with the previous construction contractor, the Avant company, and in December concluded a new one with ZAO Engineering Corporation Transstroy, owned by Oleg Deripaska. The cost of the contract amounted to 13 billion 22 million 282 thousand rubles with the original price of 18 billion 603 million 260 thousand. The reduction in the starting price was 30%.

April 2009 Metallica will perform in St. Petersburg at the opening of a new stadium"
News agencies report that the legendary American band Metallica will perform in St. Petersburg in 2010 at the opening of a new stadium on Krestovsky Island. Metallica will present their latest album Death Magnetic.

December 2009 Stadium does not meet FIFA standards
After checking the stadium project for compliance with FIFA requirements, it turned out that according to a number of criteria, the stadium already under construction does not meet FIFA standards. The main complaints were made about the configuration of the stands (ensuring comfortable visibility, the location of hatches) and the layout of the sub-tribune rooms, which were divided by thick walls into small compartments. There were practically no halls or open spaces inside.

February 2010 Zenit Stadium will become larger and more expensive
Chairman of the Construction Committee of the St. Petersburg Administration Vyacheslav Semenenko announced the decision to expand the stadium. “Since the city received an offer from the bid committee to host the semi-final match of the World Cup, we asked all participants: either we continue construction with minor adjustments to the project, or we suspend work and change the project so that the new stadium meets all UEFA requirements and FIFA. But this will require additional funding,” Semenenko said. Thus, the new version of the stadium must accommodate at least 67,000 people.

April 2010 The construction time for the Zenit stadium is still increasing
Due to adjustments to the budget of St. Petersburg, the project to build a football stadium on Krestovsky Island lost 1.5 billion rubles. For this reason, the timing of the commissioning of the new arena of the St. Petersburg Zenit has again undergone changes. Head of the Budget and Financial Committee of the Legislative Assembly Vladimir Barkanov stated that this would result in an increase in the cost of the project.

December 2010 Redesign of the new arena in St. Petersburg is completed
Zenit President Alexander Dyukov announced that the redesign of the new arena in St. Petersburg has been completed. Now the stadium will accommodate 68,000 spectators.

January 2011 Builders were in a hurry - the roof is being dismantled
The construction timeline for the new Zenit stadium has again been revised to November 2012. The conclusion of the Glavgosexpertiza on the redevelopment was received by construction organizations three months later than expected, so the builders, who rushed to start work, were faced with the need to dismantle the roof of the future arena. Amendments by Glavgosexpertiza inevitably led to an increase in construction costs, which by that time had already been revised five times.

In addition, as the Vice-Governor of St. Petersburg Roman Filimonov said, the cost of the Zenit stadium has increased. Compared to the previous estimate, construction work has risen in price by 8.4 billion rubles, and now the total cost of the stadium has increased to 33 billion rubles ($1.1 billion).

February 2011 The new Zenit stadium fell in price from 33 billion to 28.7 billion
The final estimate for the stadium was not 33 billion, which was announced at the end of January, but 28.7 billion. The contractor Inzhtranstroy gave a discount.

July 2011 Zenit wants to start the 2013/14 season in a new arena
General Director of Zenit Maxim Mitrofanov: “We expect this: if construction really ends in November 2012, then approximately six months will be spent on various commissioning works, installation of technological and catering equipment. We would like to start the 2013/14 season in a new arena.”

October 2011 “The constructed part of the stadium will have to be partially redone”
The change in design was caused by the fact that the customer, the construction committee of the government of St. Petersburg, decided to make a different roof two months after transferring the documentation to Mosproekt-4. Mosproekt-4 initially designed a sliding structure that should only cover the stands. And the customer wanted the roof to cover the entire stadium along with the field. And these are completely different loads on beams, columns and foundations. It will take another 12 to 18 months to install the roof.

November 2011 New project deadline and new estimate
The final completion date for the new stadium for Zenit on Krestovsky Island is 2013. This was announced by the Governor of St. Petersburg Georgy Poltavchenko during a joint meeting with Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Kozak at the construction site of the future sports arena. Information also appeared that the price of the stadium could increase from 33 billion rubles to 40 billion rubles ($1.3 billion).

January 2013 Construction readiness of the Zenit stadium is 34.4%
At this point, the construction readiness of the facility is 34.4%. As of November 1, 2012, expenditures from the budget of St. Petersburg were made to finance the construction of a football stadium in the amount of 14,417.1 million rubles, while accounts receivable amounted to 3,759.8 million rubles.

February 2013 The Investigative Committee took over the stadium
The Main Investigation Department of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation for St. Petersburg confirmed the fact that a criminal case had been initiated regarding fraud during the construction of a stadium for Zenit on Krestovsky Island. We are talking about the work of the first contractor on the project - Sintez-Sui LLC, which later changed its name to Avant LLC, which at the end of 2006 entered into a contract with the construction committee of the government of St. Petersburg. In the subcontract agreements concluded, the cost of work was inflated by more than 500 million rubles.

March 2013 The new Zenit stadium is promised to be completed no later than July 2016
Head of the St. Petersburg Capital Construction Fund Roman Skladnev reported that the installation of the stadium roof for Zenit on Krestovsky Island in St. Petersburg will begin in the second or third quarter of 2014, and all monolithic work will be completed in the fourth quarter of the same year. According to him, 21 months will pass from the start of roof installation until the stadium is put into operation.

June 2013 The new Zenit stadium is currently 35% completed
After six years of work on Krestovsky Island, the new Zenit stadium, which will host matches at Russia's home 2018 FIFA World Cup, is about a third complete. Vice-Governor of St. Petersburg Marat Oganesyan, meanwhile, believes that, despite the problems with the construction of the stadium on Krestovsky Island, the city is the leader in preparation among Russian cities that will host the 2018 World Cup.

April 2014 Zenit Arena will be put into operation on June 15, 2016
Perhaps now the fans can breathe easy? Vice-Governor of St. Petersburg Marat Oganesyan announced the exact opening date of the Zenit Arena stadium on Krestovsky Island. In April, construction of the stadium's roof began. Zenit President Alexander Dyukov later noted that such a forecast looks realistic.

Oganesyan ruled out the possibility of increasing costs for the construction of a stadium on Krestovsky Island. According to him, the final cost of the facility will be 34.9 billion rubles and “not a penny more.”

October 2014 Construction in St. Petersburg will still be completed by Transstroy
Transstroy, the general contractor of the new Zenit stadium on Krestovsky Island in St. Petersburg, won a competition worth 9.129 billion rubles to complete the construction of the arena. All that remains is to install the retractable roof, roll-out pitch, engineering systems, finishing, installation and commissioning of arena equipment.

December 2014 Alluvium for another 2.33 billion rubles
The State Order Committee of St. Petersburg has announced a tender for the creation of an artificial land plot in the area of ​​Krestovsky Island for the construction of a stadium for the 2018 World Cup. The volume of allocated funds will amount to almost 2.33 billion rubles, according to the procurement portal.

March 2015 The case of the theft of 145 million rubles from the arena was closed years ago
Vasileostrovsky District Court dismissed the criminal case against Sergei Gerliman, who was accused of illegally cashing out 145 million rubles stolen during the construction of the Zenit Arena. The reason for the decision was the expiration of the statute of limitations.

April 2015 Arena construction worker was shot and killed
As a result of the conflict at the Zenit Arena stadium under construction on Krestovsky Island in St. Petersburg, a construction worker received gunshot wounds to the head. The day before, a concrete mixer arrived at the construction site. Having unloaded, the driver began to wash the car, after which an employee approached him and made a remark. Presumably, after a verbal conflict, the driver took out a traumatic pistol and shot in the direction of his opponent three times, hitting him in the head twice.

November 2015 The first match at Krestovsky will be held in September 2016
Chairman of the Construction Committee Mikhail Demidenko reported that the level of readiness of the stadium on Krestovsky Island is now 79%. At the meeting, it was decided that the first match at the new site should take place in September 2016. However, a month later the general contractor moved the announced deadlines until December 2016.

February 2016 The general contractor asks to increase the estimate to 35.3 billion rubles
The Inzhtransstroy-SPb company, the general contractor for the construction of the Zenit Arena stadium, sent an official appeal to the St. Petersburg Construction Committee about increasing the cost of building the facility by 435 million rubles. This information was confirmed by the committee’s press service. Thus, the final estimated cost of the arena may exceed 35.3 billion rubles.

July 2016 Investigators are looking for the video board of the Krestovsky stadium for 144 million rubles
The Investigative Committee and the economic police of St. Petersburg have begun large-scale searches that concern 144.5 million rubles initially required to carry out work on setting up a video board complete with a lifting and lowering system at the Krestovsky stadium, as well as a control system for the LEDs on this board. Meanwhile, the stadium's readiness is estimated at 85%. In addition, reports of delays in wages for construction workers have reappeared.

July 2016 Attempted raider takeover in the arena?
Inzhtrasstroy-Spb, the general contractor for the construction of the stadium on Krestovsky Island in St. Petersburg, reported an attempted raider takeover that took place on July 13, also accusing the city administration of attempting to delay the delivery of the arena. “A situation has arisen in which the customer, represented by the city administration, is doing everything to miss the deadline for completing the project. One of the key problems is caused by the lack of approved design solutions and documentation. We don’t have documents according to which we actually have to build,” the company told Championship. Later, city authorities did not rule out that the government contract with the contractor could be terminated.