The unique charm of Estádio Municipal de Braga

The Beautiful Game is an honorific title known worldwide when referencing football. Yet, few locales allow spectators and players to conduct their beautiful game in a stadium fitting the name. That said, there are a few cauldrons of passion that are perhaps more impressive architecturally than the football on display inside, and that is no criticism. The Municipal Stadium of Braga is one such place. Many will be familiar with the protruding jagged limestone rock face that sits at the far end of the pitch breaking up the two 15,000 seater stands, yet despite the unique recognisability of the stadium, few know the story behind one of football’s architectural wonders. 

Nestled in the northwest of Portugal in the Minho District, Braga is the oldest Portuguese city, established by the Romans in 16 b.C (sources vary). Originally named ‘Bracara Augusta’ in honour of Roman Emperor Cesar Augusto, Braga has since remained a central city in the Catholic map of Europe, as witnessed by the S.C. Braga badge which depicts Mother Mary and Baby Jesus, with thousands opting to visit Bom Jesus de Monte on Pentecost to this very day. Fast-forward almost two thousand years to 1921 and the city of Braga welcomes a new presence into its fold, that of Sporting Clube de Braga, an institution encompassing a range of sports but primarily the home of the city’s great football club. Initially, the club rented space on the Campo do Raio to train and compete until 1946 when plans were approved for the construction of a stadium that would become to be known as the 1º Maio. 

Inaugurated in 1950 by President General Oscar Carmona the Municipal 28 de Maio, the stadium would receive a name change to the now well-known 1º Maio following the Carnation Revolution of 1974. By the start of the 1990s’ the stadium was slowly disintegrating despite various efforts to abate the degradation, it was understood that, when possible, either a massive collective repair effort or a new stadium would be required. Thus, when the 2004 UEFA European Football Championships arrived in Portugal, the demand for higher-quality venues increased thus colliding with S.C. Braga’s demands for an improved stadium. The development of this new stadium was given to Portuguese architect Eduardo Souto de Moura at the turn of the millennium and the construction of the €83.1 million project began in 2002, with a large portion of the overall cost spent on digging into the now famous limestone rock-face that the Municipal is known for the world over. 

Initially, the project site was to be at a relatively unappealing plot close to the river yet plans were changed to place the stadium in an area of greater natural beauty in the hopes of improving and recovering a more marginal area of the city. The organisational scheme of the structure is predicated upon two tribunes, facing one another, with one constructed into the limestone whilst the other is held by a construction of sixteen concrete ribs; The metallic canopy takes inspiration from indigenous Peruvian bridges. There are no stands behind both goals allowing for the beauty of the northwestern topography to shine through, giving the stadium its unique character and beauty. 

Opta Analyst and owner of Proxima Jornada, Aaron Barton, explains that “the Municipal is a unique stadium and a true feat of architecture. One of seven new stadiums built ahead of Euro 2004, a stadium that is carved from a quarry will forever be a real talking point and gain plaudits for its uniqueness. Its beauty stems from the intertwining of nature and the artificial, how the steel runs along the top of the stadium alongside the granite of the quarry. It's a stadium that fuses together these different elements - yet somehow manages to still look wonderfully cohesive, as if it's always existed. It's been the scene of many special nights since its inauguration, in the 2010-11 season alone Braga beat Celtic, Sevilla and Arsenal all at home. Barack Obama once remarked that the stadium is "sublime", complimenting it for how it "combines art and accessibility", I'm inclined to agree with him.”

In 2005, the IPPAR (Instituto Português do Património Arquitetónico) declared the stadium a national patrimony due to its significant beauty. In addition, lead architect Eduardo Souto de Moura was, in the same year, awarded the Secil Prize. For Eduardo, the awards continued, winning the prestigious Pritzker Architect Prize in 2011 and the Wolf Prize in Arts in 2013, both in part due to his visionary work in designing the Municipal Stadium. Repairs have been made to the 1º Maio across the 2000s’ in order for various Braga youth team games to be hosted there. Further, Braga B dissolved alongside various top-tier reserve teams across Portugal, including Benfica Sporting, and Porto at the end of the 2005-6 season yet despite this, the team was reinstated in 2012 and the stadium, in order to comply with various ground regulations, was developed further bringing the capacity of the stadium down to maximum 5000 spectators. 

SC Braga, at the time of writing currently sits comfortably in third place in Liga Portugal, eight points ahead of giants Sporting with Abel Ruiz playing a starring role. In recent seasons, Os Arcebispos have returned to winning ways, claiming the Taça da Liga in the 2019-20 season, their sixth major trophy. Situated in arguably Europe’s most beautiful stadium, and competing with the giants of Portuguese football, there is a chance that real success will be welcomed at the Municipal sooner than one might expect, something the beautiful quarry richly deserves.