Pärnu Rannastaadion

Pärnu Rannastaadion (English: Pärnu Beach Stadium) is a multi-purpose stadium in Pärnu, Estonia. It is the home ground of football clubs Pärnu Vaprus and PJK. The stadium was opened after reconstruction in 2016 and seats 1,501. It is located next to the Pärnu Beach and approximately 200 metres from the sea.

Pärnu Rannastaadion

Former names	Pärnu Stadium, Pärnu Kalev Stadium
Location	Pärnu, Estonia
Owner	City of Pärnu
Capacity	1,501
Record attendance	2,515 (Estonia vs Malta, 31 August 2016)
Field size	105 m × 67 m (344 ft × 220 ft)
Surface	Grass
Construction
Opened	14 July 1929; 95 years ago (1929-07-14)
Rebuilt	2015–2016
Construction cost	€5.62 million (2016)[1]
Architect	KAMP Arhitektid (2016)
Tenants
Pärnu Vaprus (1929–1937, 2000–present) Pärnu Tervis (1929–1944, 1992–1996) Pärnu Jalgpalliklubi (1989–1998, 2018–present)
Website
spordikeskus.parnu.ee/rannastaadion/

First opened in 1929, the stadium has had four different grandstands throughout its history and was completely reconstructed in 2015–2016. The address of the stadium is Ranna pst. 2, 80012 Pärnu.^[2]

History

First sporting activities on Pärnu Rannastaadion's field date back to 1896, when a velodrome was opened by the association of German cyclists. The velodrome was destroyed in 1915 by Russian soldiers, who dug trenches on the sports field to repel a possible German landing.^[3] After Estonia gained independence, a committee was established to make plans for a stadium.

Pärnu Stadium in 1929–1933

The stadium was officially opened on 14 July 1929. The wooden grandstand, which was also built to host singing festivals, was able to seat around 700 people and was labelled as the 'finest of the Baltic states' due to its neoclassical architecture.^[4] However, the grandstand was set on fire on 9 February 1933 and the perpetrators were never caught.^[3]

Pärnu Stadium from 1933 to 1981, considered as one of the best examples of wooden functionalism in Estonia

Five months later, on 9 July 1933, a new and larger grandstand was opened. Designed by architect Olev Siinmaa, the stadium building has later been considered as one of the best examples of 1930s wooden functionalism in Estonia.^[5][6] The stadium survived World War II and hosted numerous post-war Pärnumaa Song Festivals, before the historic grandstand was demolished in 1981 and the stadium's ownership was transferred to Sports Association Kalev, who renamed the stadium as Pärnu Kalevi staadion and opened a new grandstand in 1987.

Kalev however struggled with the stadium's maintenance and the complex was soon left in particularly bad condition. In 2012, the City of Pärnu revoked Kalev's rights for the stadium^[7] and held a design competition for a new grandstand, which was won by KAMP Arhitektid.^[8] The stadium was renamed Pärnu Rannastaadion and the reconstruction began in July 2015.

The stadium after the 2015–2016 reconstruction

Pärnu Rannastaadion was reopened on 9 July 2016 after extensive renovation works. With a total cost of 5.62 million euros, the new stadium complex also facilitates a hostel, gym, seminar rooms and a restaurant. The stadium was awarded the 2016 Union of Estonian Architects award for its outstanding architecture.^[9]

On 31 August 2016, Pärnu Rannastaadion hosted the Estonia national football team after a 17-year break, when they drew 1–1 with Malta in a friendly match. Since 2021, Pärnu has also hosted numerous UEFA Europa Conference League qualifying matches of Paide Linnameeskond.

Galleries

• Pärnu Rannastaadion's facade through the years
• 
  1929–1933
• 
  1933–1981
• 
  2016–present
• 
  2016–present

• Pärnu Rannastaadion's grandstand through the years
• 
  1929–1933
• 
  1933–1981
• 
  1987–2015
• 
  2016–present

• The stadium after the 2015–2016 reconstruction
• 
• 
• 
• 

Estonia national team matches

Pärnu has hosted four Estonia national football team matches.^[10]

Date		Result	Competition	Attendance
2 July 1993	Estonia – Latvia	0–2	1993 Baltic Cup	300
4 July 1993	Estonia – Lithuania	2–1		800
18 August 1999	Estonia – Armenia	2–0	Friendly	1,000
31 August 2016	Estonia – Malta	1–1		2,515

Athletics records

Updated on 6 June 2021.^[11][12]

Men

Event	Record	Athlete	Nationality	Date	Ref
100 m	10.40	Oleksandr Sokolov	Ukraine	19.08.2018
200 m	21.02	Igor Bodrov	Ukraine	27.08.2016
300 m	33.02	Rasmus Mägi	Estonia	03.07.2022	[13]
400 m	46.61	Aivar Ojastu	Estonia	01.09.1989
800 m	1:48.8	Rein Tölp	Estonia	1965
	1:48.82	Anatoli Millin	Russia	13.07.1988
1000 m	2:19.02	Sergey Afanasyev	Russia	13.07.1988
1500 m	3:46.3	Mart Vilt	Estonia	1965
Mile	4:06.50	Juri Sinkovski	Latvia	13.07.1988
2000 m	5:33.6	Lembit Kupp	Estonia	01.09.1971
3000 m	8:10.8	Arvi Uba	Estonia	28.08.1987
5000 m	14:09.0	Mart Vilt	Estonia	1965
10,000 m	29:58.4	Ants Nurmekivi	Estonia	1971
110 m hurdles	13.83	Keiso Pedriks	Estonia	22.08.2020
400 m hurdles	49.97	Maksims Sincukovs	Latvia	22.08.2020
3000 m steeplechase	8:43.39	Aivar Tsarski	Estonia	07.1989
High jump	2.25	Normunds Sietiņš	Latvia	27.06.1992
		Rolandas Verkys	Lithuania
Pole vault	5.70	Aleksandrs Obižajevs	Latvia	13.07.1988
		Vadim Kodentsev	Russia
Long jump	7.84	Serhiy Nykyforov	Ukraine	18.08.2017
Triple jump	16.83	Redzinaldas Stasaitis	Lithuania	31.07.1993
Shot put	20.76	Kristo Galeta	Estonia	21.07.2019
Discus throw	64.78	Andrius Gudžius	Lithuania	27.08.2016
Hammer throw	82.16	Vitaliy Alisevich	Belarus	13.07.1988
Javelin throw	85.61	Magnus Kirt	Estonia	24.08.2019	[12]
Decathlon	7966	Indrek Kaseorg	Estonia	30.05.1993
4 × 100 m relay	39.97	Latvia	Latvia	03.07.2022	[13]
4 × 400 m relay	3:12.53	Latvia	Latvia	31.07.1993

Women

Event	Record	Athlete	Nationality	Date	Ref
100 m	11.61	Viktoriya Ratnikova	Ukraine	03.07.2022	[13]
200 m	23.96	Kristin Saua	Estonia	06.06.2021	[12]
300 m	36.87	Gunta Vaičule	Latvia	03.07.2022	[13]
400 m	51.88	Vineta Ikauniece	Latvia	13.07.1988
800 m	1:56.82	Lyudmila Rogachova	Russia	13.07.1988
1000 m	2:40.81	Sara Kuivisto	Finland	19.08.2018
1500 m	4:12.99	Stefanija Statkuvienė	Lithuania	30.07.1993
Mile	4:42.54	Liina Tšernov	Estonia	27.08.2016
3000 m	8:56.31	Natalya Artyomova	Russia	13.07.1988
100 m hurdles	13.02	Ludmila Olijara	Latvia	23.09.1989
400 m hurdles	55.95	Margareta Jasevicene	Lithuania	28.06.1992
High jump	1.92	Bianca Salming	Sweden	16.06.2018
Pole vault	4.15	Marleen Mülla	Estonia	06.06.2021	[12]
Long jump	6.77	Larysa Berezhna	Ukraine	13.07.1988
Triple jump	13.45	Merilyn Uudmäe	Estonia	21.07.2019
Shot put	19.17	Danguolé Urbikiené	Lithuania	27.06.1992
Discus throw	63.62	Ilga Smeikste	Latvia	13.07.1988
Hammer throw	69.86	Sofiya Palkina	Russia	19.08.2018
Javelin throw	61.83	Liina Laasma	Estonia	27.08.2016
Heptathlon	6011	Mari Klaup	Estonia	17.06.2018
10 km walk	45:33	Sada Bukšnienė	Lithuania	28.06.1992
4 × 100 m relay	45.96	TÜ ASK	Estonia	06.06.2021	[12]
4 × 400 m relay	3:41.54	Lithuania	Lithuania	31.07.1993

References

1. "Rannastaadion läks maksma 5,62 miljonit eurot". Pärnu Postimees. 12 July 2016.
2. EOK Spordirajatised Archived 2011-07-17 at the Wayback Machine
3. Esna, Olaf (22 July 2016). "Kui Rannastaadioni avati". Pärnu Postimees.
4. "Balti riikide kauneim staadion". Eesti Spordileht. 20 July 1929.
5. Hint, Juhan (3 February 2017). "1930. aastate puitfunktsionalism". Sirp (in Estonian).
6. Lige, Carl-Dag (21 August 2017). "Modernism, wood and Estonian architecture in the 1930s". Tajumaailm.
7. "Pärnu linn võtab Kalevilt staadioni hoonestusõiguse". Pärnu Postimees (in Estonian). 3 April 2012.
8. "Pärnu Rannastaadion - KAMP Arhitektid". kamp.ee.
9. "Arhitektide Liidu aastapreemia sai Pärnu Rannastaadion". ERR (in Estonian). 10 December 2016.
10. "Mängud". jalgpall.ee (in Estonian). Retrieved 2023-02-01.
11. "Athletics records (updated in August 2020)" (PDF). spordikeskus.parnu.ee.
12. "Rannastaadion records" (PDF). ekjl.ee. Retrieved 2022-07-02.
13. "2022 all results" (PDF). ekjl.ee. 3 July 2022. Retrieved 4 July 2022.

External links

• Home page
• Timelapse of the construction of the stadium (2015–2016)

58°22′28.82″N 24°30′12.46″E