After a 24-year absence, FC Lokomotiva Košice made a long-awaited return to the Lokomotiva Stadium in Čermeľ during the 2022/23 season. This stadium holds a special place in the city of Košice, closely intertwined with the history and tradition of Lokomotiva Košice since its construction. Over the years, the stadium has also been a venue for many other sports and cultural events, including the International Peace Marathon, athletics and cycling competitions, mass exercises known as “spartakiáda,” concerts, and even a papal visit by Pope Francis in September 2021.
A Multi-Sport Complex with a Rich Past
The Lokomotiva sports complex in Čermeľ was officially opened on August 15, 1959, after 12 years, 3 months, and 14 days of construction. Originally launched by Telovýchovná jednota ŠK Železničiari Košice (a sports union formed by railway employees in 1946), the stadium was built primarily for the new football club ŠK Železničiari Košice. At that time, the club lacked its own pitch in the city and even had to postpone its first official home league match in the 1946/47 season.
A pivotal meeting on January 15, 1947, at 5:00 p.m., paved the way for the club’s own stadium. Since ŠK Železničiari Sparta Košice was considered one of the most promising clubs in Slovakia, it publicly announced plans to build a new stadium in the newspaper Východoslovenská Pravda, stating that the club had already secured both the land and the necessary funding.
On May 1, 1947, during Labor Day celebrations, railway workers, footballers, supporters, and other volunteers marched through Košice with their tools, shovels, and pickaxes. This symbolic event marked the beginning of construction on what would become the largest sports complex in eastern Slovakia.
The Čermeľ Location
Railways owned the land known at the time as Črmelské údolie, originally intended for a new railway station and a small football field, since the Košice–Margecany railway line was expected to be rerouted through that area. When those plans fell through, the railways donated around 10 hectares of land, which was mostly cornfields and potato patches at the edge of Košice, to ŠK Železničiari Košice. The club and the later TJ Lokomotíva Košice then built a 30,000-seat football stadium, a covered winter arena (3,000 seats), a bowling alley, and other sports facilities.
Initial work involved building the pitch with a perimeter fence and a single central entrance (later known as the Brána borcov or “Champions’ Gate”), followed by four floodlight masts, then a main stand and an electronic scoreboard. At that time, it was one of the most modern stadiums in Czechoslovakia.
Construction involved countless volunteers, as well as support from local businesses and the Czechoslovak Railways. Early work was mostly manual and lacked detailed technical documentation, but architects later provided site planning, and mechanical equipment was brought in. The estimated cost was 26 million koruna, though the final expenditure reached 17 million koruna. On August 15, 1959, to mark the anniversary of the Slovak National Uprising and International Railway Workers’ Day, the new stadium was inaugurated with a match between the Czech-Slovak railway select team TJ Lokomotíva Košice and a railway team from East Germany, ending 3–0.
Glory Days and a Forced Departure
From 1959 until 1998, Lokomotiva Košice called the Čermeľ stadium home. In the late 1990s, management from the rival club 1. FC Košice sought to secure the stadium to host European competitions because the city-run VŠA stadium did not meet the required standards. Lokomotiva faced financial and organizational hardships during the 1997/98 season, leading to the club leaving its longtime home. It relocated to Krompachy and then to the Spoje Stadium on Bardejovská Street. Rival clubs like 1. FC Košice, MFK Košice, and FC VSS Košice took turns at Čermeľ, but none lasted for the long term.
Since 2018, a club renamed from TJ FK Vyšné Opátske to FC Košice has used the Lokomotiva Stadium. Nevertheless, in the history of Čermeľ, it will always be remembered that Lokomotiva Košice was compelled to leave its own stadium due to external pressures. The stadium itself remains a proud symbol of the club’s legacy, deeply woven into the sporting and cultural tapestry of the city.
Key Dates for the Lokomotiva Stadium in Čermeľ
- Official Opening: August 15, 1959
- First Match: August 15, 1959 (Czechoslovak Railways team Lokomotiva Košice vs. East German Railways 3–0)
- First Event Under Floodlights: June 4, 1960 (Spartakiáda mass display)
- First Football Match Under Floodlights: September 10, 1961 (Lokomotiva Košice vs. ČH Bratislava 1–3, attended by 12,000 fans)
Lokomotiva’s Presence at Čermeľ
- 1959/60 – 1993/94 (TJ Lokomotíva Košice)
- 1994/95 – 1996/97 (FK Lokomotíva Energogas Košice)
- 1997/98 (FC Lokomotíva Košice)
- 2022/23 (FC Lokomotíva Košice)
Last Match Before Departure
May 24, 1998, FC Lokomotíva Košice – Inter Bratislava 1–2 (1,069 fans). Lokomotiva’s goal was scored by Miljan Pecelj (Serbia).
After leaving, the club only made a few symbolic returns to Čermeľ for “home” fixtures in the Slovak Cup and league matches, most notably while based in Družstevná pri Hornáde.
Symbolic Returns
- 2012/13, September 25, 2012 (Slovak Cup): FC Lokomotíva Košice – MFK Košice 1–3
- 2016/17, August 26, 2016: FC Lokomotíva Košice – FC VSS Košice 0–1
Official Comeback
In the 2022/23 season, on July 23, 2022, Lokomotiva Košice played FK Spišská Nová Ves (2–2) in Čermeľ, marking its official return to the stadium.
