A page from the Wisła calendar: 102 years ago the second stadium was opened

102 years ago – on April 8, 1922 – Wisła Kraków defeated Pogoń Lwów 4-2 in a friendly match. This was the opening match of the White Star's second stadium, located on Aleja 3 Maja.

Wisła's first stadium was the Sports Park in Oleandry, opened after a long effort by its activists. However, the players' use of this pitch was short-lived, as the facility opened in April 1914 – World War I soon broke out, and with it, the Sports Association suspended its operations. Oleandry is remembered in history as the site of the formation of the First Cadre Company, so we can proudly say that Poland's path to independence began at Wisła's stadium. However, the stadium itself did not survive the war, and after its reactivation in 1918, the White Star had to begin seeking a new pitch.

Wisła moved a few hundred meters west, after the city decided to divide the Horse Racing Track, located on the northern side of Błonia. Activists from the Sports Association leased a portion of this land and carried out the necessary work, the largest undertaking of which was the construction of a wooden grandstand. Despite the significant financial and organizational challenges, work proceeded quickly, and on April 8, 1922, the first match was held at Wisła's new stadium.

The Oleandry Sports Park opened with a match against Czarni Lwów, while Pogoń was invited to the inauguration of the stadium on Aleja 3 Maja. Wisła won the match 4-2, with two goals from Władysław Kowalski, a goal from Józef Adamek, and an own goal from Władysław Olearczyk. The meeting was, of course, a ceremonial occasion, with the guests presenting Wisła with a beautiful pennant, a ribbon-cutting ceremony, and the blessing of the pitch by Father Anioł Madejewski.

The stadium on Aleja 3 Maja served Wisła for over three decades. It was the first facility in Poland to have a pitch clock installed (October 1927). It was here that Wisła won its first Polish Cup (1926) and its first four championship titles (1927, 1928, 1949, 1950). In addition to the football pitch, the stadium also featured a running track, allowing for the organization of athletics competitions, including those at the Polish Championship level. For a time, tennis courts, basketball courts, and volleyball courts operated next to the football pitch. The facility was damaged twice (in 1935 and 1946) by severe storms. During World War II, the Germans occupied the stadium and hosted their teams' competitions there. In January 1945, the first matches after the end of the German occupation were played at the stadium.

The pitch on Aleja 3 Maja operated until 1953, when a new facility opened, located on the same site as today's Henryk Reyman Stadium. There's no trace of the pre-war stadium today, but fans heading to a match from Błonia can recall passing through the very spot where Reyman broke his scoring records!