The Arena Zagreb is a multi-purpose

indoor arena An arena is a large enclosed platform, often circular or oval-shaped, designed to showcase theatre, musical performances, or sporting events. It is composed of a large open space surrounded on most or all sides by tiered seating for spectators ...

located in

Zagreb Zagreb ( , , , ) is the capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Croatia#List of cities and towns, largest city of Croatia. It is in the Northern Croatia, northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slop ...

, Croatia. The site also includes a building complex, the Arena Complex (Arena Center), making it one of the largest shopping-entertainment centers in the city. The arena is used for

hockey Hockey is a term used to denote a family of various types of both summer and winter team sports which originated on either an outdoor field, sheet of ice, or dry floor such as in a gymnasium. While these sports vary in specific rules, numbers o ...

futsal Futsal is a football-based game played on a hardcourt, hard court smaller than a football pitch, and mainly indoors. It has similarities to five-a-side football and Indoor soccer, indoor football. Futsal is played between two teams of five players ...

handball Handball (also known as team handball, European handball or Olympic handball) is a team sport in which two teams of seven players each (six outcourt players and a goalkeeper) pass a ball using their hands with the aim of throwing it into the g ...

athletics Athletics may refer to: Sports * Sport of athletics, a collection of sporting events that involve competitive running, jumping, throwing, and walking ** Track and field, a sub-category of the above sport * Athletics (physical culture), competi ...

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

volleyball Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules. It has been a part of the official program of the Summ ...

, numerous other sporting competitions, and various concerts, exhibitions, fairs, conventions, and congresses. Arena Zagreb is a member of the European Arenas Association (EAA). The shopping center and Arena Zagreb share a series of services such as a joint parking lot, multiplex cinema, wellness center, numerous restaurants, cafes, and stores.

History

The

Croatian Government The Government of Croatia ( hr, Vlada Hrvatske), formally the Government of the Republic of Croatia ( hr, Vlada Republike Hrvatske), commonly abbreviated to Croatian Government ( hr, hrvatska Vlada), is the main executive branch of government ...

and the

Zagreb Assembly The City Assembly of the City of Zagreb is the lawmaking body of the Croatian capital of Zagreb. It consists of 47 members who were elected by universal suffrage and secret ballot at 2017 elections for a term of four years. The assembly meets a ...

held a public tender for the construction of a sports hall in order to host games in the 2009 World Men's Handball Championship, and later for numerous other sporting, cultural, and business events. The arena will host the World Men's Handball Championship again in 2025 with the country, Denmark and Norway. They selected the consortium composed of property developers

TriGránit TriGranit is one of the largest privately owned real estate platforms in Central Europe, focusing primarily on retail and office buildings in urban locations. TriGranit manages investment, acquisition, development, and construction. In its two d ...

(from

Hungary Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia a ...

) and Ingra (from Croatia). The TriGránit/Ingra offer was initially approved on 25 April 2007, but the signing of the final contract was delayed because of

Mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well a ...

Milan Bandić Milan Bandić (22 November 1955 – 28 February 2021) was a Croatian politician and the longest-serving mayor of Zagreb, the capital of Croatia. Bandić was mayor almost continuously from 2000 to 2021, except during the time between his resignati ...

expressing discontent with the conditions. The Consortium engaged studio UPI-2M from Zagreb as well as studio Decathlon from Athens as an international consultant, specially for this project to create and produce a unique design for Arena Zagreb. The construction of the sports hall finally started on 20 July 2007, and was completed as planned on 15 December 2008. The arena also hosted the 2018 European Men's Handball Championship with

Split Split(s) or The Split may refer to: Places * Split, Croatia, the largest coastal city in Croatia * Split Island, Canada, an island in the Hudson Bay * Split Island, Falkland Islands * Split Island, Fiji, better known as Hạfliua Arts, enterta ...

Varaždin ) , image_photo = , image_skyline = , image_flag = Flag of Varaždin.svg , flag_size = , image_seal = , seal_size = , image_shield = Grb_Grad ...

and

Poreč Poreč (; it, Parenzo; la, Parens or ; grc, Πάρενθος, Párenthos) is a town and municipality on the western coast of the Istrian peninsula, in Istria County, west Croatia. Its major landmark is the 6th-century Euphrasian Basilica, whic ...

Architecture

Resembling a giant rib cage around the building, 86 large pre-stressed, pre-fabricated concrete curved columns form the main façade, connected by a semi-translucent

polycarbonate Polycarbonates (PC) are a group of thermoplastic polymers containing carbonate groups in their chemical structures. Polycarbonates used in engineering are strong, tough materials, and some grades are optically transparent. They are easily work ...

envelope that allows for various light effects. It's one of the landmarks of

already, along with the cathedral. Developing spatial and functional characteristics to enable maximum flexibility of the venue was vital during the schematic design stage. The telescopic system of 4,550 seats was a critical element in allowing different configurations and quick turnaround between events. The singular vision also led to provision of spacious facilities for athletes, other performers and event managers, a concept for simple and fluid visitor circulation, a mix of catering facilities and designing in smaller, mutually independent zones that could all be used at the same time. Getting the acoustics right was important too. The steel roof structure had sufficient bearing capacity to enable the suspension of additional stage equipment. The roof structure is close to the structure of a

suspension bridge A suspension bridge is a type of bridge in which the deck (bridge), deck is hung below suspension wire rope, cables on vertical suspenders. The first modern examples of this type of bridge were built in the early 1800s. Simple suspension bridg ...

, which is an uncommon approach (in arena design) anywhere in the world. The roof’s bearing structure is only 45 cm high, over a span of 110 m, because it is suspended from the upper side of the roof outside and can not be seen from the interior. This solution was made feasible by contemporary cable production technology – the span is suspended on cables that have a diameter of just 66 mm. Each cable can carry 400 tons. The capacity of the hall is 16,500 seats and 22,400 for concerts. Arena Zagreb won the Structural Design of the Year award at the 2009

World Architecture Festival The World Architecture Festival (WAF) is an annual festival and awards ceremony, one of the most prestigious events dedicated to the architecture and development industry. The first four events were held in Barcelona, from 2008 to 2011, at which p ...

, and Grand spectacle award at Global BBR 2010.

Concerts and events

Beyoncé Knowles Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter ( ; born September 4, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Beyoncé's boundary-pushing artistry and vocals have made her the most influential female musician of the 21st century, according to ...

held a sold-out concert of her

The Mrs. Carter Show World Tour The Mrs. Carter Show World Tour was the fifth concert tour by American singer Beyoncé. Announced in February 2013 with initial dates in Europe and North America, the tour contained seven legs and 132 shows. It began in Belgrade, Serbia on April ...

, promoting the album

4 (Beyoncé Knowles album) 4 (four) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 3 and preceding 5. It is the smallest semiprime and composite number, and is considered unlucky in many East Asian cultures. In mathematics Four is the smallest c ...

. Croatian singer

Franka Batelić Franka Batelić (born 7 June 1992), also known as Franka, is a Croatian singer-songwriter. She rose to fame as the winner of the first season of '' Showtime''. She represented Croatia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2018 with the song " Crazy". ...

was the Opening Act (17 April 2013) *

Mark Knopfler Mark Freuder Knopfler (born 12 August 1949) is a British singer-songwriter, guitarist, and record producer. Born in Scotland and raised in England, he was the lead guitarist, singer and songwriter of the rock band Dire Straits. He pursued a s ...

had a concert promoting his album

Privateering (album) ''Privateering'' is the seventh solo studio album by British singer-songwriter and guitarist Mark Knopfler, released on 3 September 2012 by Mercury Records. The first studio double-album of Knopfler's 35-year career as a recording artist, ''Priv ...

(5 May 2013) *

Severina Vučković Severina Vučković (born 21 April 1972), better known mononymously as Severina, is a Croatian singer-songwriter and actress. In 2006, the Croatian weekly '' Nacional'' listed her among the 100 most influential Croats, calling her "the only ''bo ...

held a concert as a part of her

Dobrodošao u Klub Tour The Dobrodošao u Klub Tour (also styled as DUK Tour) was the second headlining concert tour by Croatian pop-folk singer Severina. It was launched to support of her eleventh studio album '' Dobrodošao u klub'' (2012). It was officially announc ...

. Promoting her twelfth studio album Dobrodošao u Klub (11 May 2013) *

Iron Maiden Iron Maiden are an English heavy metal band formed in Leyton, East London, in 1975 by bassist and primary songwriter Steve Harris. While fluid in the early years of the band, the lineup for most of the band's history has consisted of Harri ...

held a full house concert as a part of their

Maiden England World Tour The Maiden England World Tour was a concert tour by Iron Maiden, which began on 21 June 2012 in Charlotte, North Carolina and ended on 5 July 2014 with a performance at the Sonisphere Festival at Knebworth, UK. The tour's setlist was largely ba ...

(31 July 2013) *

We Will Rock You (musical) ''We Will Rock You'' (often abbreviated as ''WWRY'') is a jukebox musical based on the songs of British rock band Queen (band), Queen with a book by Ben Elton. The musical tells the story of a group of Bohemians who struggle to restore the free ...

took place, performing in total of 3 shows (25–26 May 2013)

Gallery

Image:Handball WC2009 Final.jpg, 2009 World Men's Handball Championship Image:Medvescak in Arena Zagreb 2.jpg,

KHL Medveščak Zagreb KHL Medveščak Zagreb ( hr, Klub hokeja na ledu Medveščak Zagreb), also known as KHL Medveščak Mladi, is a Croatian ice hockey club based in Zagreb, established in 1961. The team's name derives from the location of its original arena in the ...

game Image:Medvescak - Arena - west stand.jpg,

game (opposite stand) Image:Cibona vs Partizan NLB League Final 2010.JPG,

Cibona Košarkaški klub Cibona, commonly referred to as Cibona Zagreb or simply Cibona, is a men's professional basketball club based in Zagreb, Croatia. The club is a founding member and shareholder of the Adriatic Basketball Association, and competes ...

Partizan Partizan may refer to: Sport * JSD Partizan, a sports society from Belgrade, Serbia, which includes the following clubs: **AK Partizan, athletics ** Biciklistički Klub Partizan, cycling ** Džudo Klub Partizan, judo **FK Partizan, association fo ...

, April 2010 Image:Arena Zagreb (38749792485).jpg, Arena Zagreb ahead of the 2018 European Men's Handball Championship

References

External links

* {{Authority control Indoor arenas in Croatia Handball venues in Croatia Basketball venues in Croatia Sports venues in Zagreb

Arena Zagreb The Arena Zagreb is a multi-purpose indoor arena located in Zagreb, Croatia. The site also includes a building complex, the Arena Complex (Arena Center), making it one of the largest shopping-entertainment centers in the city. The arena is used fo ...

Sports venues completed in 2008