Archaeologists are finished: the stadium construction in Wolmirstedt can now get underway
September 4, 2027 is the planned date: This is when a new stadium is to be inaugurated in Wolmirstedt. There is still a lot to do before then, and the actual construction work has just begun. Just a few days ago, full-time and volunteer employees of the Saxony-Anhalt State Office for the Preservation of Monuments and Archaeology were still bustling around the site on Samsweger Chaussee.
The excavation team was able to document a total of 1170 archaeological features (structures) over an area of 29,000 square meters and recover tens of thousands of finds, according to a spokesperson for the state office. The outstanding significance of the archaeological structures documented in the area of the planned stadium is due to the fact that they date from just one epoch, the late Bronze Age (approx. 1,300 to 750 BC). This makes the comprehensive reconstruction of a settlement area from this period possible. Of particular note from the past few weeks is the discovery of several swelling beam buildings, which can only rarely be documented, as well as the discovery of a bronze sickle.
At the beginning of the excavation work, the team led by excavation manager Juliane Huthmann had already found a skeleton in a squatting position with a twisted head, which posed some puzzles. The shell of a pond turtle also needs to be examined in more detail to find out whether the animal was eaten.
Over the coming months, the finds will be cleaned, recorded in a special database and prepared for delivery to the Saxony-Anhalt State Office for the Preservation of Monuments and Archaeology. In addition, all descriptions of the findings will be entered into the excavation database. Thousands of photos are read into the database, measured images are rectified and plans are drawn up. The documentation report is then written. In addition, a first summarizing essay on the excavation results will be prepared. The documentation and find material will then be available for further research, for example in the form of final theses at universities, and for exhibitions.
The local excavation manager, Ms. Juliane Huthmann, has agreed to give a public lecture on the excavation project in Wolmirstedt once the excavation work has been completed.
Now that the archaeologists have said goodbye, work on the future stadium site is continuing apace. The terracing work currently underway is due to be completed by the end of November 2025. The construction site will then “rest” for the time being until spring 2026. Here, the moving earth masses from the terracing will settle naturally. The time until spring 2026 will be used to prepare the tenders for the construction work to build the functional building and to award the construction contracts.
The construction of the stadium, a multifunctional sports facility with a large pitch, type B pitch and functional building, is the largest investment project in Wolmirstedt since 1990. As things stand, the construction project will cost around 10.5 million euros. Around 4.3 million euros of this will be financed by subsidies from the state of Saxony-Anhalt. Construction of the sports ground will start in March 2026. According to the current planning status, the functional building will be built from July 2026. Construction is expected to be completed in August 2027.
