The “Gruabn”, the former home of SK Sturm, is now under the protection of the Federal Monuments Office. The association announced this via Twitter.
Fans of the SK Sturm.
From 1919 until the move to the Liebenau stadium, currently known as the Merkur Arena, the “Gruabn” served as the home venue for the “Blackies”. Due to financial difficulties, the square had to be sold to the city of Graz in 2006 for 1.5 million euros. Since then, the future of the “Gruabn” has been uncertain. To date, the Graz sports club has played its games there.
In 2017 the “Initiative for the Preservation of the Gruabn-Holz-Tribüne” was founded, which raised over 65,000 euros with the help of various donation campaigns. According to SturmNetz.at , the area is now to be renovated and returned to its original state.
“An overwhelming feeling and a milestone for our initiative. We didn't think it would happen so quickly,” said Benjamin Sikora, co-founder of the initiative. He was optimistic about the renovation: “Of course everything is a question of cost, but I am sure that it will be a jewel case again.”
