The Oberhof bobsleigh, luge, and skeleton track is a venue used for

bobsled Bobsleigh or bobsled is a team winter sport that involves making timed runs down narrow, twisting, banked, iced tracks in a gravity-powered sleigh. International bobsleigh competitions are governed by the International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Feder ...

luge A luge is a small one- or two-person sled on which one sleds supine (face up) and feet-first. A luger steers by using the calf muscles to flex the sled's runners or by exerting opposite shoulder pressure to the seat. Racing sleds weigh for s ...

and

skeleton A skeleton is the structural frame that supports the body of an animal. There are several types of skeletons, including the exoskeleton, which is the stable outer shell of an organism, the endoskeleton, which forms the support structure inside ...

located in

Oberhof, Germany Oberhof is a town in the Schmalkalden-Meiningen district of Thuringia, Germany. Located in the Thuringian Forest mountain range, it is a winter sports center and health resort. With 1,625 inhabitants (December 2016), it is visited by 144,000 touri ...

History

Oberhof had been the home of sledding activities since 1905, mostly bobsleigh. In

1931 Events January * January 2 – South Dakota native Ernest Lawrence invents the cyclotron, used to accelerate particles to study nuclear physics. * January 4 – German pilot Elly Beinhorn begins her flight to Africa. * January 22 – Sir I ...

, the facility hosted the first ever

FIBT World Championships The IBSF World Championships (known as the FIBT World Championships until 2015), part of the International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation, have taken place on an annual basis since 1930. Starting with 2002, championships of non-Winter Olympic ...

in the two-man bobsleigh event won by the two-man

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

team of

Hanns Killian Hans Kilian (alternate listings: Hanns Kilian, Hans Killian, or Hanns Killian (2 May 1905 – 17 April 1981) was a German bobsledder who competed from the late 1920s to the late 1930s. Competing in three Winter Olympics, he won ...

and

Sebastian Huber Sebastian "Wastl" Huber (26 June 1901 in Füssen – 6 March 1985 in Füssen) was a German bobsledder who competed from the late 1920s to the mid-1930s. Competing in three Winter Olympics, he won two bronze medals at the Winter Oly ...

. After

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, Oberhof was partitioned into

East Germany East Germany, officially the German Democratic Republic (GDR; german: Deutsche Demokratische Republik, , DDR, ), was a country that existed from its creation on 7 October 1949 until its dissolution on 3 October 1990. In these years the state ...

. Following the successes of the

East Germans East Germany, officially the German Democratic Republic (GDR; german: Deutsche Demokratische Republik, , DDR, ), was a country that existed from its creation on 7 October 1949 until its dissolution on 3 October 1990. In these years the state ...

at the

FIL World Luge Championships The FIL World Luge Championships, part of the International Luge Federation (FIL) have taken place on an almost annual basis in non-Winter Olympics years since 1955. These championships are shown for artificial tracks. See FIL World Luge Natural T ...

during the 1960s with

Thomas Köhler Thomas Köhler (born 25 June 1940) is an East German former luger who competed during the 1960s. He won three Winter Olympic medals in men's luge with two golds (Singles: 1964, Doubles: 1968) and one silver (Singles: 1968). Köhler won five m ...

(men's singles world champion in

1962 Events January * January 1 – Western Samoa becomes independent from New Zealand. * January 3 – Pope John XXIII excommunicates Fidel Castro for preaching communism. * January 8 – Harmelen train disaster: 93 die in the wors ...

and

1967 Events January * January 1 – Canada begins a year-long celebration of the 100th anniversary of Confederation, featuring the Expo 67 World's Fair. * January 5 ** Spain and Romania sign an agreement in Paris, establishing full consular and ...

, men's doubles world champion in

1965 Events January–February * January 14 – The Prime Minister of Northern Ireland and the Taoiseach of the Republic of Ireland meet for the first time in 43 years. * January 20 ** Lyndon B. Johnson is Second inauguration of Lyndo ...

and

Ilse Geisler Ilse Geisler (later Vorsprach and since divorced, born 10 January 1941) is an East German luger who competed from the late 1950s to the mid-1960s. She won the silver medal in the women's singles event at the 1964 Winter Olympics in Innsbruck. ...

(women's singles world champion in 1962 and

1963 Events January * January 1 – Bogle–Chandler case: Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation scientist Dr. Gilbert Bogle and Mrs. Margaret Chandler are found dead (presumed poisoned), in bushland near the Lane Cov ...

Ortrun Enderlein Ortrun Zöphel-Enderlein (born 1 December 1943) is a former East German (GDR) luger, and one of the most successful lugers in the 1960s. Enderlein started her working career at the SC Traktor Oberwiesenthal, and was first introduced to luge in ...

(women's singles world champion in 1965 and 1967),

Petra Tierlich Petra Tierlich, born 25 February 1945, is an East German luger who competed in the 1960s. She won three medals in the women's singles event at the FIL World Luge Championships with a gold in 1969 and two silvers in 1965 and 1967 Eve ...

(women's singles world champion in

1969 This year is notable for Apollo 11's first landing on the moon. Events January * January 4 – The Government of Spain hands over Ifni to Morocco. * January 5 **Ariana Afghan Airlines Flight 701 crashes into a house on its approach to ...

Wolfgang Scheidel Wolfgang Scheidel (born 1 March 1943) is an East German former luger who won the gold medal in the men's singles event at the 1972 Winter Olympics in Sapporo. He also won three medals at the FIL World Luge Championships with one gold in the men ...

(men's doubles world champion in 1965), and

Klaus Bonsack Klaus Bonsack (born 26 December 1941), also known as Klaus-Michael Bonsack, is an East German former luger who competed during the 1960s and early 1970s. He was born in Waltershausen, Thuringia. He won four Winter Olympic medal in men's luge ...

(men's doubles world champion in 1967), the East German government decided it was time to construct a permanent, artificially

refrigerated The term refrigeration refers to the process of removing heat from an enclosed space or substance for the purpose of lowering the temperature.International Dictionary of Refrigeration, http://dictionary.iifiir.org/search.phpASHRAE Terminology, ht ...

reinforced concrete Reinforced concrete (RC), also called reinforced cement concrete (RCC) and ferroconcrete, is a composite material in which concrete's relatively low tensile strength and ductility are compensated for by the inclusion of reinforcement having hig ...

track for year-round training and usage.Men's singles luge world champions since 1955
In 1966, East Germany was awarded the FIL World Luge Championships in

Friedrichroda Friedrichroda () is a town in the district of Gotha, Thuringia, Germany. It is situated at the north foot of the Thuringian Forest, 21 km by rail southwest of the town of Gotha. It is surrounded by fir-clad hills and possesses numerous han ...

(misspelled as Friedrichsroda), but the event was cancelled. The success of the first permanent bobsleigh, luge, and skeleton track in

Königssee The Königssee is a natural lake in the extreme southeast Berchtesgadener Land district of the German state of Bavaria, near the Austrian border. Most of the lake is within the Berchtesgaden National Park. Description Situated within the Berchte ...

West Germany West Germany is the colloquial term used to indicate the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG; german: Bundesrepublik Deutschland , BRD) between its formation on 23 May 1949 and the German reunification through the accession of East Germany on 3 O ...

, completed in 1968 and first used for the

world luge championships The FIL World Luge Championships, part of the International Luge Federation (FIL) have taken place on an almost annual basis in non-Winter Olympics years since 1955. These championships are shown for artificial tracks. See FIL World Luge Natural T ...

the following year, also played a factor. In 1969, it was decided to construct a permanent facility in Oberhof.History of the Oberhof track.
The track was completed in 1971 with a World Cup test taking place the following year. Since then the track has hosted World Cup events, mostly in luge though it has hosted events in bobsleigh (1974 in two-man) and skeleton (1993).

Renovations

Oberhof has undergone four track renovations, the first in 1996 where it was closed from April to October for a total reconstruction, a second in 2002 when a new

ammonia Ammonia is an inorganic compound of nitrogen and hydrogen with the formula . A stable binary hydride, and the simplest pnictogen hydride, ammonia is a colourless gas with a distinct pungent smell. Biologically, it is a common nitrogenous was ...

refrigeration system was installed and turn 14 was modified for safety reason, and a third in 2006 when new start houses were built for both men and women, and turn 7's profile was modified for safety reasons. The cost of the 2016 renovation was

€ The euro sign () is the currency sign used for the euro, the official currency of the eurozone and unilaterally adopted by Kosovo and Montenegro. The design was presented to the public by the European Commission on 12 December 1996. It consists o ...

4 million. (22 January 2008 article accessed 3 December 2009. The track was again renovated in 2020 with improvements to the roof as well as redesign of many of the track curves and improvements to the starts and start houses.

Statistics

Overall track length is 1354.5 meters.BSD track profile
The venue includes a vertical drop of 96.37 meters from start to finish. The only named curves are the "S-Kombination" (German for "S Combination") which are turns eight through eleven and the "Zielkurve" (German for "Finish Curve") is turn fourteen, a

Kreisel Kreisel (German for gyro) is the name of a turn found on some bobsleigh, luge, and skeleton tracks around the world. It is a single continuous curve which turns far enough around that the track must go under itself on the exit of the curve. Ther ...

(or circular) curve.

Championships hosted

FIL European Luge Championships The FIL European Luge Championships, part of the International Luge Federation (FIL) have taken place since 1914. From 1914 to 1934, these championships were part of the Internationaler Schlittensportsverband (ISSV - International Sled Sport Federat ...

1979 Events January * January 1 ** United Nations Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim heralds the start of the ''International Year of the Child''. Many musicians donate to the ''Music for UNICEF Concert'' fund, among them ABBA, who write the song ...

1998 1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''. Events January * January 6 – The '' Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for frozen water, in soil in permanently ...

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 6 ...

and

2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fact ...

. *

1973 Events January * January 1 - The United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland and Denmark enter the European Economic Community, which later becomes the European Union. * January 15 – Vietnam War: Citing progress in peace negotiations, U.S. ...

1985 The year 1985 was designated as the International Youth Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** The Internet's Domain Name System is created. ** Greenland withdraws from the European Economic Community as a result of a ...

2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...

References

External links

Official website
{{coord, 50.713, N, 10.709, E, display=title, source:dewiki Bobsleigh, luge, and skeleton tracks in Germany Buildings and structures in Schmalkalden-Meiningen

bobsleigh Bobsleigh or bobsled is a team winter sport that involves making timed runs down narrow, twisting, banked, iced tracks in a gravity-powered sleigh. International bobsleigh competitions are governed by the International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Feder ...

Sports venues in Thuringia