Germany's Olympic stadium now an abandoned overgrown ghost town after three-plus decades

The Olympiastadion Station was officially closed in 1988

The Munich Olympiastadion, once a bustling sports hub in the heart of Germany, has been left untouched for many years now.

Nestled in the centre of the Olpmpiapark Munchen, construction for the stadium began in 1968 and it was officially opened in May 1972, just in time for the Summer Olympic Games. The city of Munich won its Olympic bid back in 1966, beating out Detroit, Madrid and Montreal.

The games hosted 195 events across 21 different sports and the Soviet Union emerged as the overall victors of the games, bagging 50 gold medals, 27 silver and 22 bronze. The US followed closely behind, with East Germany taking third place.

Great Britain, however, didn't fare as well, finishing twelfth overall with a total of 18 medals. A train station was also built in the early 1970s to provide fans with an easy transport link for the Olympics. However, it was soon disconnected from the regular service network and officially closed in 1988.

The tracks were removed in 2003, leaving the station a derelict wasteland. Today, photographs reveal worn-out tunnels and platforms still standing. After the Olympics, Bayern Munich took over the stadium, moving from the old Grunwalder Stadion. TSV 1860 Munich also moved in during the 1990s, sharing the space with their Munich rivals until 2005 when Bayern relocated to their new home, the Allianz Arena.

The Olympiastadion was a key venue for the 1974 World Cup, hosting the final where West Germany triumphed over the Netherlands 2-1, thanks to goals from Paul Breitner and Gerd Muller. The Euro 1988 final was also held at the Olympiastadion, this time seeing the Netherlands defeat the Soviet Union 2-0.

The European Cup final of 1979, the Champions League finals of 1993 and 1997, and the Women's Champions League final of 2012 were all hosted at the park. Since 2012, the Olympiastadion has been rarely used for sporting events but has hosted American Football fixtures. However, it has primarily served as a concert venue.

Big names like Bon Jovi, Bruce Springsteen, The Rolling Stones, Metallica and Guns N' Roses have all performed there, with Taylor Swift and Coldplay set to take the stage in the coming months. Interestingly, the stadium was also slated to be used for a Monty Python skit in the 1972 film Flying Circus.

It was the backdrop for the Philosophers' Football Match, where Greek philosophers faced off against German philosophers, who had the assistance of Franz Beckenbauer. Filming eventually occurred at the Grunwalder Stadion, with scenes from the 1975 Rollerball movie shot at futuristic sites around the stadium. In addition, Guns N' Roses filmed parts of their 'Estranged' video at the Olympiastadion during a visit to Munich in the early '90s.

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