Connects the cities of Portugalete and Las Arenas (part of Getxo) in the province of Vizcaya, Spain.
| UNESCO World Heritage Site | |
| Biscay Transporter Bridge | |
|---|---|
| Basque. Bizkaiko Zubia isp. Puente de Vizcaya |
|
| Country | Spain Spain |
| Type of | Cultural |
| Criteria | i, ii |
| Link | |
| Region | Europe and North America |
| Turning on | 2006 (30th session) |
View along the top of the bridge.
The locals call the bridge Puente Colgante, which in Spanish means "suspension bridge". This name does not correspond to the type of bridge (the suspension bridge has a different design), but is widely used, including on the official website.
The bridge is a purely engineering structure and is not decorated in any way. The pillars are two double metal towers 61 meters high, pulled by metal cables, the ends of which are attached at a distance of 110 meters to massive concrete blocks. Between the towers, standing on different banks, there are cables stretched, forming a parabola, on which the central span of the bridge, more than 160 meters long, hangs at a height of 45 meters.
History
The Vizcay Conveyor Bridge is the oldest bridge of this type, built in 1893 by the Basque architect Alberto de Palacio, one of the students of Gustave Eiffel. The task set for the architect was to organize communication between cities without disrupting the movement of ships in the Port of Bilbao and without the construction of long access ramps. The bridge was built using lightweight twisted steel ropes new for that time, which is why it was recognized as one of the outstanding architectural metal structures of the industrial revolution and became a model for many similar bridges in other parts of the world.
The bridge was disrupted for 4 years during the Spanish Civil War, when it was decided to destroy all possible crossings across Nervion in order to stop the advance of the general's troops
And a blog in which we show what we love endlessly for the Capital of Great Britain. Today I have an exclusive for you. Personally, I am quite far from football. But more recently I was in the holy of holies of British football - at the stadium of the Arsenal Emirates club in London. Tours around the stadium have been around for a long time - here, probably, no one will be surprised. But I saw what usually remains behind the scenes. I managed to visit the players' locker room literally an hour and a half before the match - when boots, uniforms and everything, everything, everything were already waiting for them. So the post is just a virtual tour of the Arsenal stadium :) football backstage, one might say.
About football stadium tours in England
In general, getting on football stadium tours is relatively easy. Arsenal, Chelsea, Fulham (isn't it customary to pronounce them in Russian?) Hold them regularly. A ticket for a tour of the Arsenal for children costs 10 pounds, for adults - 20. You are taken backstage, shown in locker rooms, taken out to the field. A couple of years ago, I was at Manchester United Stadium. The stadium there is older, so I remember one thing - how prosaic everything was. I am very far from football, but the feeling is like from Soviet space capsules. It seems - here it is, an absolute legend, something that all Soviet children dream about (I'm talking about space now), but inside ... a Soviet dental chair. Well, or something very similar. In Manchester United stadium, the carpets just killed me. If I go into an unfamiliar pub, and there are such carpets on the floor, this is a sure sign that it is necessary to cut down from here, because no one liked this place and has not looked after it since the beginning of the 90s.
Arsenal's stadium (which is Emirates) is newer - it was only opened in 2006 (inside the old stadium, there are now apartments nearby). Therefore, everything is not so prosaic there. In some places it was futuristic and definitely did not have a feeling - well, how is that possible?
Footballers from boarding schools in Russia
I got to the stadium with the coolest kids, football players - the winners among boarding schools in Russia. Every year Megafon (which is the official sponsor of this championship) brings the winners to London. The guys this year are the Gagarinets and Inter-7 teams. We arrived from Kansk and Angarsk. I spent three and a half days with the champions, showing them London, helping with travel and simply translating when needed. We went to Arsenal's training camp at their base, then trained at the Arsenal youth school, and on Saturday we came to the match with Sunderland. Before the match, they made us a real exclusive - they took us around the stadium an hour and a half before the match.
This is the entrance to the field. The accordion moves in. Apparently for safety :)
London club Arsenal dressing room
The dressing room itself is pretty cool. It is shown during a regular tour of the stadium. And there, it seems, even the players' t-shirts are hanging, but when we were there, there was a complete set. Slippers, sneakers, or whatever is soccer-like? The boots seem to be (boots in general). Only the players were missing. At the very end there is a video - the guys met them when Arsenal arrived by bus to the game.
There are many kits out there. They probably need to be worn out. See numbers above the hooks :)
The players' locker room itself looks like this. I filmed on an iPhone and in between times, so the photos are not a lot. But the general meaning is clear.
The day before, at training with Arsenal, the guys talked to coach Arsene Wenger. And then the goalkeeper came out to us - Petr Cech himself. The guys remembered him most of all, because he understood them in Russian and could even answer simple questions (he is a Czech by nationality). See lower right corner.
Many have known Czech since the days of Chelsea. It's hard not to remember him, because he has been performing in such protective helmets for a long time. The helmet is the consequences of an injury, a depressed fracture of the skull. Hence the nickname - tanker. As you can see, Cech has two helmets :)
All the players also had slippers on which numbers were written with a marker. Quite funny :) But, probably, when you get out of the shower, it's much easier to figure it out.
There is a massage room nearby.
The boots can be cleaned here.
There are also two swimming pools. The first is with warm water, where you can sit on a comfortable bench with other players. The water will show a little, but on the right is quite a shop :)
And behind the wall is an ice bath. This is after the match. Helps with muscle fatigue.
Well, showers. No curtains or partitions by the way. Recently, on thequestion, a question was asked - why there are no partitions and curtains in the shower in the gym. It became interesting to me too. In London I was in 3-4 gyms. If there are partitions, then the curtains are definitely not seen anywhere.
Well, at the very end - a photo with the Arsenal team mascot a dinosaur named Gunnersaurus Rex :) gunners is the informal name of Arsenal.
Then we were still standing in the parking lot of the stadium, where a bus with teams drove up. Here is a video of Arsenal's arrival. At the very end, in a knitted hat - Thierry Henry (suddenly, yes).
Like that.
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Emirates Stadium is a stadium in London. Home stadium of the Arsenal football team, with a capacity of 59,867 spectators.
Has become Arsenal's home arena since 2006. The maximum capacity of the stadium is 60,361 people.
History
The club began to think about the need to build a new stadium already in the late 90s, since Highbury could only accommodate 38,419 people. Of course, it was possible to expand the old field a little with the sidewalk and residential buildings around the stadium. But neither the local population nor the city council were delighted with such an idea. Every day the number of people wishing to purchase an annual subscription to the home games of the "Gunners" only increased. The management of “Arsenal” was well aware that they were losing a big piece of the pie and decided not to waste any more time.
It all started with the search for the required piece of land. The club seriously considered the option of building a stadium near the M25 motorway, although it was still preferable to stay in North London, in the Islington area and as close to Highbury as possible. It is worth noting that at one time the idea of renting the legendary Wembley was seriously considered, where Arsenal had already played their home matches in the Champions League in the 1998/99 and 1999/00 seasons. This option was ultimately rejected. In addition, in 2002, when the Wembley redevelopment was given the green light, there were rumors that Arsenal and Tottenham would move to the new stadium together when it was completed. As it turned out, these were just backup options, since at the same time the club was already working on the Ashburton Grove project.
In the end, the choice fell on the industrial buildings on Ashburton Grove, just 500 yards from the good old Highbury. The work plan was announced in November 1999, with the opening date of the new stadium in August 2003. However, due to financial and construction difficulties, the opening date was later postponed to the summer of 2006. This small plot of land in north London had many tenants and owners, the largest of which were the Islington recycling plant and the Royal Mail. In order to put the plan into action, it was necessary to buy real estate from their owners, as well as significantly contribute to their move to another location. To locate the processing plant, Arsenal bought a 40,000 m2 plot of land that once belonged to the railway. The mail was moved to Hamilton.
Despite the fact that Arsenal has been based in Islington for over 80 years, there were residents and businesses that opposed the construction of the new stadium. The case even went to trial, but Arsenal won it. The stadium also became a major issue during the 2006 elections. The district police department required fans to park near the Sobel Sports Center, and not in underground parking lots. Also, restrictions were imposed on access to 14 streets during games.
In February 2004, the final stages of construction of the arena began. The stadium bowl and two bridges across the Northern Railroad were completed by the summer of 2004. The roof was completed in August 2005, earlier than expected and within budget. In February 2006, 90% of the season tickets were already sold, the remaining 10% were sold out by June. The first seat in the stadium was inaugurated on 13 March 2006 by Arsenal player Abu Diaby. The lighting of the arena was tested on June 25, and a gate was installed a day later.
Stadium structure:
The stadium is a four-level saucer with a roof over the seating area, but not over the pitch. The design team was comprised of architects from Populus, construction consultants from Arcadis and engineering firm Buro Happold. The arena's chief architect is Sir Robert McAlpin.
Ashburton Grove's upper (26,646) and lower (24,425) levels are equipped with normal seating. For the 2006/07 season, adult ticket prices were quoted between £ 32 and £ 66 on average, while for children it was £ 13. Season passes ranged from £ 885 to £ 1,825.
The middle level of the arena is called "club" and provides a greater level of comfort. It has 7,139 seats, the rights to which are also sold for a period of one to four years. In the first season at Ashburton, an annual pass for this type of seat cost between £ 2,500 and £ 4,750. These costs include all Premier League home games as well as League Cup, FA Cup and European Cup matches.
Above the club level there are 150 boxes with a capacity of 10, 12 and 15 seats. The total number of people who can simultaneously watch the game from this level is 2.222 people. The price of one lodge for a period of one year is £ 65,000.
The VIP level and, accordingly, the best seats in the stadium are at the so-called "diamond level". These seats are by invitation only.
High ticket demand, coupled with the wealth of London fans, allows the club to generate the same income from the club and diamond tiers as the full Highbury did.
The field is 105 * 68 m in size. It is located in the same way as on "Highbury" - from north to south. Away fans are located in the southeast corner of the lower level. The number of seats for foreign fans can be increased from 1,500 to 4,500 by placing them outside the south gate. In special cases, it is possible to allocate up to 9,000 seats for visiting fans by placing them on the upper tier.
The new stadium pays tribute to Highbury. The union of all the offices of the club is called "Highbury House" and is located in the northeastern part of the complex. A bust of Herbert Chapman was also placed there, the same one that stood in the marble hall of Highbury. Three other busts that were also at Highbury, namely Claude Ferrier (architect of the East Stand of Highbury), Denis Hill-Wood (former chairman of the club's board of directors) and Arsene Wenger were transported to Ashburton and are located at the entrance to the Diamond "tier of the stadium. By the way, the two bridges that stretch over the railroad tracks and connect the stadium with Drayton Park are called the Clock End and North Bank bridges, as are the legendary stands at Highbury.
By the way, the famous "Highbury" symbol, which any "gunner" knows about, namely the clock from the South Stand, is also now on the Grove.
In the structure of the stadium there is a museum of the club, where, among other things, there are marble figures from the Highbury hall. The museum is located in the northern part of the arena.
"Arsenalization"
In response to criticism from fans that the stadium is just a commercial project, where there is not even a hint of the great historical legacy of the Gunners, the club's management introduced the Arsenalization program under the leadership of Ivan Gazidis.
A short list of changes made since 2009:
Installation of white cannon-shaped seats on the lower tier of the East Stand.
The Spirit of Highbury Hall was created, which depicts all the players who played for Arsenal over the course of 93 years at the previous stadium.
Eight large murals were installed around the stadium. Each depicts 4 legends of the club. They all stand with their backs, hugging each other. It seems as if 32 legends have embraced the stadium. The frescoes depict: Ian Wright, George Armstrong, David Jack, Martin Keewon; Cliff Bustin, Tony Adams, Liam Brady, Thierry Henry; David Seaman, Ted Drake, David Rockastle, Alex James; Patrick Viera, Reg Lewis, Lee Dixon, Joe Mercer; Dennis Bergkamp, Bob Wilson, Eddie Hepgood, Charlie George; Nigel Winterburn, David Dunskin, Kenny Senseom, Jack Kelsey; Robert Pires, John Radford, David O "Leary, George Mail; Ray Parlor, Frank McLintock, Steve Bould, Pat Rice.
Inside the lower tier are 12 frescoes depicting 12 of the greatest moments in Arsenal's history.
Three statues of the club's legends were installed near the stadium. Herbert Chapman, Tony Adams and Thierry Henry will always be looking at the next generation of Gunners.
How to get to the Emirates Stadium
The Emirates is located in Islington, north of London, just over 2 km from King's Cross and St Pancras train stations. There are several ways to get to the stadium using public transport. One option is the metro — the nearest Arsenal station is on the Piccadilly line. Decent alternatives to Finsbury Park station (on the Victoria and Piccadilly lines) and Highbury and Islington (on the Victoria line). From both stations to the stadium about 10 minutes walk.
Spectators are advised against driving on match days as there is little parking around the stadium.
Where to stay at Emirates Stadium
Emirates Stadium is located in the recently restored and fairly quiet area of Highbury. There are several pubs and cafes in the immediate vicinity of the stadium.
More nightlife can be found in the Islington area on Upper Street, starting south of Highbury & Islington Tube Station - approximately 15 to 20 minutes' walk from the stadium.
There are no hotels right next to Emirates Stadium, but there are some good options further north on Seven Sisters Road near Finsbury Park, which is a 15-minute walk from the stadium. The Queens Hotel and Best Western Highbury get the best reviews and cost around £ 100 a night, while the Pembury Hotel, Woodberry Down Hotel and Central Park Hotel cost a little more.
For nearly a century, London's Arsenal have played host to home matches at Highbury Stadium. The story of the Gunners' move to a new arena is quite interesting and not quite typical for English clubs. It all started with the plans to build a modern stadium in London with a design capacity of 40 thousand people. Football club "Arsenal" just acted as the initiator of the construction. But there was a significant problem: the "Gunners" were based in the southeastern part of the city, and the land for the stadium was located in the north! I didn’t really want to abandon my family fans, who had become accustomed to their team for thirty years.
And then the club economists took the floor. They calculated that it was absolutely unprofitable for the "gunners" to stay in the old district, because few people go to the matches here. This means that the revenue does not allow covering the expenses that are growing every year. And not all clubs wanted to go to this wilderness.
To understand the whole difficulty of the situation at the time, the fact that Arsenal did not have its own stadium is important. The team was forced to huddle in various structures, the state of which was sometimes rather unsightly due to dilapidation. And there is nothing to say about the local playing fields: according to the recollections of contemporaries, the lawn at Arsenal was always in a disgusting state. There were cases when the "reds" accepted rivals on nearby vacant lots or on the territory of a pig farm! Hence, there was only one way out: to cross the Thames in a northerly direction, relocating to Highbury.
Discovery and flourishing
The stadium, which has become a haven for Arsenal for decades to come, was opened in 1913. The first match took place on September 6 - the rival was the club "Leicester Foss". The hosts won 2: 1, and it was a good sign, testifying to the notorious luckyness of the arena. Indeed, Arsenal's stats at Highbury look pretty good. In the period from 1913 to 2006, the "gunners" won a total of 1196 victories in 2010 matches (68%)!
If we turn to the list of devastating accounts that took place at this stadium, we will see interesting results. The greatest victory of the "gunners" at the "Highbury" is dated January 1932. Then Arsenal declassified Darwen with a score of 11: 1. The Gunners had two major defeats here. Both Huddersfield in January 1925 and Chelsea in November 1998 lost 0-5 to Arsenal. 
The stadium has hosted many important competitions during its operation. So, the England national team has played here several times. Highbury hosted the 1948 Summer Olympics. The arena was often used for boxing, cricket, baseball and other sports.
Sunset Highbury
At the turn of the century, Arsenal's management faced two major challenges regarding the operation of the stadium. Firstly, it fell into disrepair every year and a lot of money was required for reconstruction. Secondly, due to its small capacity by modern standards, the stadium physically did not allow to receive all comers. As a result, Arsenal did not receive a significant part of the profit, which could be directed to the development of the club's infrastructure and transfer activities. In the early 2000s, a fateful decision was made: the Gunners set about building a new, much more spacious and functional stadium. The days of Highbury were numbered, with a closure and partial dismantling awaiting it. 
Arsenal played their last match in this arena on May 7, 2006. The Gunners received Wigan and confidently defeated it with a score of 4: 2. Legendary gunners' captain Thierry Henry recorded a hat-trick. Soon after that match, most of the stadium property was auctioned off. Fans and collectors from different countries were given the opportunity to purchase fragments of the lawn and gates, corner flags, contents of the changing rooms and much more. Arsenal fans also wanted to buy seats, but a special commission has forbidden to put them up for sale. The fact is that in the process of making the chairs, a poisonous drug, cadmium, was used.
Now on the site of "Highbury" there is a residential complex with more than 700 apartments. What has become "Highbury" today - clearly shown in the video:
House number 2. Emirates
Arsenal's brand new stadium, which was commissioned in 2006, was originally named Ashburton Grove. Soon, the Gunners' title partner Fly Emirates decided to buy out the rights to the arena name. Now it is called succinctly and sonorously - "Emirates". The renaming contract is valid until 2028. At the same time, UEFA representatives steadfastly ignore various commercial names and officially refuse to name the home arena after the main club sponsor.
It is the third largest stadium in England after the legendary Wembley and Old Trafford. Emirates accommodates an order of magnitude more people than Highbury. More than sixty thousand people can fit here. Accordingly, revenue from ticket sales has grown dramatically over the past ten years, significantly filling the club's budget. The construction of the stadium was not cheap: the total estimate was 390 million pounds. Therefore, the increased profit became a good help in covering costs. 
Emirates is a stadium with four stands, each divided into four tiers. Spectator areas are completely protected by a roof from precipitation and the scorching sun. In the very core of the arena there are two multimedia displays, and in the under-stands are shops, restaurants and a museum room. In the museum you can see photos of players who have played for Arsenal throughout the club's existence, as well as see club trophies. When they moved to the Emirates, Red fans insisted that the famous clock, which had hung on Highbury for decades, be installed in the new stadium. They were placed on the South Stand. 
In addition to Arsenal, England played several home matches in this arena. Brazil also visited here, hosting its opponents here as part of a friendly tour. The commissioning of the arena to the Pentacampeons for temporary operation also allowed the Gunners to make additional profits.
The O2 Arena is a multi-purpose indoor stadium. It is located on the Greenwich Peninsula, at the heart of the O2 entertainment complex. It hosts a large number of social and sporting events in various directions.
The O2 arena was opened in 2007. The construction of this structure took 4 years - from 2003 to 2007. The construction of the stadium is rather complicated, therefore many advanced technologies were used during its construction. One of the most important tasks faced by the builders was the need to significantly reduce the echo of the structure, which has become commonplace at other concert venues in London. The stadium has a capacity of 20,000 spectators, but this figure may vary depending on the nature of the event being held.
The stadium is one of the busiest and most popular venues for concerts and sporting events. So, concerts of the group Led Zeppelin and Bon Jovi were held here. The arena also hosted boxing, basketball, hockey, wrestling, tennis and gymnastics competitions.
London Olympic Stadium
London's Olympic Stadium is one of the largest multi-functional stadiums in the UK. This is the main arena of the London 2012 Olympics. It is located on Marshgate Lane in the Stretford area.
The stadium is the centerpiece of a number of structures built for the 2012 Olympics, with a construction cost of £ 486 million. The construction of the stadium lasted 4 years, from 2007 to 2011. The total capacity of the arena is 80,000 people. The competitions of the 2012 Olympics, the solemn ceremonies of its opening and closing took place here.
In the future, the stadium is planned to be rebuilt, reducing the number of seats to 25,000 people.
Brit Oval Stadium
Kia Oval is one of the best cricket arenas in the world. Throughout its one and a half century history, it has hosted many of the most important matches of this sport. The home games of the "Surrey County Cricket Club" are regularly held here.
The stadium was built in 1844. As then, its current owner is the Duchy of Cornwall. The arena has a capacity of 23,500 people. During its long history, the stadium has gone through many changes and renovations. Despite the construction of new modern stadiums, the Kia Oval continues to be the best cricket stadium in England and one of the best around the world. It is worth noting that this stadium is known for a number of names such as: "Fosters Oval", "Brit Insurance Oval" and "AMP Oval". This is due to previous commercial agreements on the name of the stadium.
The stadium regularly hosts prestigious cricket tournaments.
White Hart Lane Stadium
White Hart Lane Stadium is located in London and is the home arena of Tottenham Hotspur Football Club. Also, from time to time, it hosts games of the England national team.
The stadium was opened in 1899. However, the modern look of the arena bears little resemblance to its original appearance. And it is not strange, because the stadium has gone through many reconstructions, with which its capacity has often changed. So, the record for attendance at White Hart Lane in the entire history was achieved in 1938 - then the match was attended by more than 75 thousand people. Now its maximum capacity is more than 36 thousand people, which is the average among elite football stadiums in England.
The stadium regularly hosts matches of the English Premier League and other prestigious cups, in which the owner team plays.
Wembley stadium
New Wembley is the second largest stadium in Europe (up to 90,000 spectators). The stadium was built on the site of the former Wembley Stadium, which was demolished in 2003, and before that existed for 80 years. Old Wembley was a legend in the football and music world. It hosted five European Cup finals, numerous matches of the World Championships, European Championships and the Olympic Games. Famous concerts of Queen, Pink Floyd, AC / DC, Guns N 'Roses, The Cure, Oasis and other great figures of musical culture took place on this lawn. Here in 1988, Michael Jackson gave 7 concerts, each of which attracted 72,000 spectators, which became an absolute world record.
Today New Wembley is England's home arena. It is equipped with a retractable roof, the main purpose of which was to avoid shadow on the football field. However, this was never achieved.
Twickenham Stadium
Twickenham Stadium, also known as Kew Palace, is located in London, England. It is considered an icon of English rugby, as it is the largest stadium in the world, which hosts exclusively rugby matches.
The stadium was opened in 1907, and even then the arena was of considerable size. Over time, the stadium's capacity has only increased due to many redevelopments and renovations. Thus, the current capacity of the stadium is 82 thousand spectators. These capabilities make it the second largest of all stadiums in England, behind Wembley, and fifth in Europe.
In addition, the stadium is the headquarters for the UK Rugby Association. It also houses the World Rugby Museum.
Twickenham Stadium regularly hosts top championship matches and the finals of various prestigious cups.
Emirates stadium
Emirates Stadium in London is home to Arsenal Football Club and was officially opened by the Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Philip in 2006.
The stadium is a 4-tiered bowl of four grandstands with a roof. In the middle tier there are seats for VIPs. The stadium has a capacity of 60,432 and is the third largest stadium in London (after Wembley and Twickenham).
The stadium has one of the best lawns in the world, providing the maximum possible flow of sunlight and air on the field.
The first match played at the stadium was Dennis Bergkamp's farewell match against former club Ajax in 2006. The game was attended by 54,000 spectators and Arsenal won 2-1. In the same year, the stadium hosted the first official game (the match between Arsenal and Aston Villa, which was attended by 60,023 people).
Highbury Stadium
Highbury is one of the oldest stadiums in England. It was built specifically for Arsenal Football Club in 1913 on the grounds of a local college. Initially, the land for construction was leased, and fully purchased only in 1925. In the 30s, the stadium was first reconstructed, the main stand was completely redone, and more than 200 thousand pounds were spent on the construction of the western, eastern and western stands. Later, a massive clock was erected over the south stand, which soon became the symbol of Highbury. During the Second World War, the northern stand was completely destroyed under the bombardment; it took more than 10 years to reconstruct it.
Arsenal's final game at their home arena took place in 2006. At the moment, the stadium is being dismantled, residential buildings will be built on the site of Highbury, but using the old structures of the arena in the design.
London Attractions
