Billtalstadion, Football stadium in Bergedorf, Germany

Billtalstadion is a football arena in Bergedorf featuring an artificial turf pitch and 400-meter running track nestled within a natural depression. The spectator stands follow the hillside slopes, giving the location a distinctive structural character.

The stadium opened in 1950 after the site was excavated from a former shooting range in Bergedorf forest. This conversion from military land to sports facility shaped the neighbourhood's post-war development.

The name comes from the Bille river and its valley, the Billtal, on whose former shooting range the stadium was built. The opening on 2 September 1950 was followed by an eight-day festival. Today the ground hosts amateur clubs such as BFSV Atlantik 97 and TSG Bergedorf, and neighbouring schools use it.

The pitch and 400-metre track lie in a hollow, with the spectator terraces cut into the slope, so you enter at the top and look down. Around 10,000 places are uncovered and only 300 are seats. The ground is used by amateur clubs and neighbouring schools, so check fixtures before travelling.

Until its 2009 renovation, the stadium's clay surface made it Germany's largest facility of its kind. The switch to artificial turf changed the playing experience while making the venue less weather-dependent.