Designed by architect Torben Grut, it was opened in 1912; its original use was as a venue for the 1912 Olympic Games.

At the 1912 Games, it hosted athletics, some equestrian and football matches, gymnastics, the running part of the modern pentathlon, tug of war, and wrestling events.

The Stadium was the home ground for association football team Djurgårdens IF for many decades, until the more modern Tele2 Arena was inaugurated in 2013.

In 1956, when Melbourne hosted the Olympics, the equestrian competitions were held here due to quarantine rules in Australia.

Since 1967 the stadium has been the venue of the annual international athletics meeting DN Galan, from 2011 part of Diamond League.

Kiss sold out the stadium, by selling all 32,500 tickets in less than 20 minutes, during their 2008 World Tour.