Currently, this is considered the only stadium in the world with an active railway running through it.
Cierny Balog Stadium of the amateur football team TJ Tatran Cierny in Slovakia (a country in Eastern Europe) surprises many fans and tourists with its unique feature: a railway track and a steam-powered train running between the field and the stands. Spectators can even witness the train passing by while the match is ongoing.
Cierny Balog, a small town with around 5,100 residents in Slovakia, has become a rather unexpected tourist destination.
About seven years ago, a video showing a steam train passing through the stadium during a football match, with cheering spectators, went viral, garnering hundreds of thousands of views. The footage reveals that the audience is separated from the tracks by an iron fence, while players below continue to play on the field.
A train passes by during a football match. (Image from the clip).
The video quickly spread at an astonishing rate. Many people wondered what was happening. Was it a scene from a movie or a real-life event? What makes this train special? In fact, this is a tourist train serving visitors to the town with a continuous schedule during the summer.
It is known that Cierny Balog Stadium was built around the 1980s when the old railway line was no longer in use. However, it remains unclear why the city authorities at that time chose this location to build a football stadium.
For ten years after its completion, the railway served merely as “decoration” as it was not operational. But by the early 1990s, the tracks were repaired. In 1992, it reopened, specifically catering to tourists.
This is a train specifically for tourists. (Image: Amusing Planet).
During the summer, those wishing to admire the majestic beauty of the Lower Tatras mountains can purchase train tickets for a 17 km journey. Many tourists note that sitting on the train, enjoying the scenery through the window, and passing by the stadium is a unique experience.
“You can enjoy the surrounding landscape and watch the players compete. Sometimes spectators wave to the train passengers, while the players remain focused on the ball on the field,” a tourist recounted their experience.
According to Amusing Planet, this is believed to be the only stadium in the world with an active railway running through it. However, the Mirror (UK) states that whenever the train passes, it creates a loud noise, affecting the players in the match and limiting the view for some spectators in the stands.
