Photograph of the week: Munich Olympic Stadium, Germany

The Munich Olympic Stadium is so much more interesting than just a place for 22 grown men or women to kick around a round, synthetic-leather-clad ball. It’s true that this footie-mad nation continues to use the stadium as a ground zero of sorts to feed their passion for the beautiful game. It has, after all, played host to any number of major football events and matches, including the 1974 FIFA World Cup Final, the 1988 UEFA Euro Final, the European Cup Finals in 1979, 1993 and 1997, and the 2012 UEFA Women’s Champions League Final, to name just a few.

But did you know that the stadium, built between 1968 and 1972 for the 1972 Summer Olympics, was constructed in a pit made by bombings during World War II? The pit is said to have made construction easier, which was, no doubt, somewhat of a relief given the magnificent scale and scope of German architect Günther Behnisch and engineer Frei Otto’s visionary masterpiece.

What’s more, did you…