Cornerstone Laid of Euro 2012 Stadium

Gdansk hero and former president Lech Walesa attended a ceremony to mark the first step in the raising of a state of the art football stadium in the city.

The so-called 'Baltic Arena' will have a distinctive amber-like appearance, echoing the city's ancient links with the amber trade. The striking stadium was designed by German architectural office RKW Rhode Kellermann Wawrowsky.

If all goes according to plan - which honest observers will suggest is somewhat unlikely - the stadium will be ready by 2010. Rather more likely is that it will be ready by 2012, just in time for the epic Euro 2012 Soccer showdown.The stadium is intended to have a capacity of 44,000 people.