The Velodrom (

velodrome A velodrome is an arena for track cycling. Modern velodromes feature steeply banked oval tracks, consisting of two 180-degree circular bends connected by two straights. The straights transition to the circular turn through a moderate Track tran ...

) is an indoor

track cycling Track cycling is a bicycle racing sport usually held on specially built banked tracks or velodromes using purpose-designed track bicycles. History Track cycling has been around since at least 1870. When track cycling was in its infancy, it wa ...

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 ...

, in the

Prenzlauer Berg Prenzlauer Berg () is a locality of Berlin, forming the southerly and most urban district of the borough of Pankow. From its founding in 1920 until 2001, Prenzlauer Berg was a district of Berlin in its own right. However, that year it was incorp ...

locality of

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

. Holding up to 12,000 people, it was also Berlin's largest concert venue, until the opening of O2 World in 2008. It is part of a larger complex, which includes a swimming pool as well, built in the course of the unsuccessful Berlin application for the

2000 Summer Olympics The 2000 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXVII Olympiad and also known as Sydney 2000 (Dharug: ''Gadigal 2000''), the Millennium Olympic Games or the Games of the New Millennium, was an international multi-sport event held from 1 ...

. This project is related to the

German reunification German reunification (german: link=no, Deutsche Wiedervereinigung) was the process of re-establishing Germany as a united and fully sovereign state, which took place between 2 May 1989 and 15 March 1991. The day of 3 October 1990 when the Ge ...

and the wish of a city, Berlin, about to become the capital, to be nominated for the Olympic Games. It replaced the former

Werner-Seelenbinder-Halle Werner-Seelenbinder-Halle was an indoor sporting arena located in the Prenzlauer Berg district of Berlin, Germany. It was named after the executed Berlin resistance fighter Werner Seelenbinder, a German wrestling champion at several European ...

, which was demolished in 1993. It mainly hosts indoor sporting events, trade shows and concerts.

Architecture

The building was designed by French architect

Dominique Perrault Dominique Perrault (born 9 April 1953 in Clermont-Ferrand) is a French architect and urban planner. He became world known for the design of the French National Library, distinguished with the Silver medal for town planning in 1992 and the Mies va ...

who won an international

design competition A design competition or design contest is a competition in which an entity solicits design proposals from the public for a specified purpose. Architecture An architectural design competition solicits architects to submit design proposals for a b ...

in 1992 and was awarded the German Award of Architecture, second prize for the velodrome and the Olympic swimming pool. The site chosen is at the intersection of urban elements and of different networks. In order to resolve the conjunction of these two systems, the buildings which house the velodrome and the Olympic Swimming Pool vanish from sight. The idea was to create an orchard of apple trees with two buildings set into the ground, one round and the other rectangular, covered with a wire gauze, which shimmer in the sunlight and appear to be stretches of water more than buildings. The project includes *a multi-use velodrome: cycling, athletics, tennis, equestrianism, sports education, concerts *a swimming pool: 2 Olympic pools, Olympic diving platform, pools for diving training, handicapped, children *multisport hall The arena is famous for its steel roof construction – with a

diameter In geometry, a diameter of a circle is any straight line segment that passes through the center of the circle and whose endpoints lie on the circle. It can also be defined as the longest chord of the circle. Both definitions are also valid for ...

of 142 meters, it has Europe's largest steel roof.

Notable events

In 1998,

Janet Jackson Janet Damita Jo Jackson (born May 16, 1966) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and dancer. She is noted for her innovative, socially conscious and sexually provocative records, as well as elaborate stage shows. Her sound and choreog ...

performed there during her

The Velvet Rope Tour The Velvet Rope Tour was the third concert tour by American recording artist Janet Jackson. Launched in support of her sixth studio album ''The Velvet Rope'' (1997), the tour visited Europe, North America, Japan, New Zealand, Africa, and Austral ...

. In 1999 and 2020, it hosted the

UCI Track Cycling World Championships The UCI Track Cycling World Championships are the set of world championship events for the various disciplines and distances in track cycling. They are regulated by the Union Cycliste Internationale. Before 1900, they were administered by the UCI ...

and has been the site of the annual

Six Days of Berlin The Six Days of Berlin is a six-day track cycling race held annually in Berlin, Germany. The event was first held in 1909. In its first edition, 15 teams of two cyclists each competed in the exhibition hall at Berlin Zoo for glory and, not least, ...

since then. In 2002 and 2008,

Kylie Minogue Kylie Ann Minogue (; born 28 May 1968) is an Australian singer, songwriter and actress. She is the highest-selling female Australian artist of all time, having sold over 80 million records worldwide. She has been recognised for reinve ...

performed her

Fever Tour KylieFever2002 was the seventh concert tour by Australian pop singer Kylie Minogue, in support of her eighth studio album, ''Fever'' (2001). The tour began on 26 April 2002 in Cardiff, Wales at Cardiff International Arena and concluded on 16 Aug ...

and KylieX2008 tours. In 2004,

Britney Spears Britney Jean Spears (born December 2, 1981) is an American singer. Often referred to as the " Princess of Pop", she is credited with influencing the revival of teen pop during the late 1990s and early 2000s. After appearing in stage productio ...

performed a sold-out show of

The Onyx Hotel Tour The Onyx Hotel Tour (billed as The Onyx Hotel Tour 2004) was the fifth concert tour by American entertainer Britney Spears. It showcased her fourth studio album, ''In the Zone'' (2003), and visited North America and Europe. A tour to promote the ...

. In 2007,

Daft Punk Daft Punk were a French electronic music duo formed in 1993 in Paris by Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo. Widely regarded as one of the most influential acts in dance music history, they achieved popularity in the late 1990s as p ...

performed

Alive 2006/2007 ''Alive 2007'' is the second live album by the French electronic music duo Daft Punk, released on 19 November 2007 by Virgin Records. It features Daft Punk's performance at the Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy arena in Paris on 14 June 2007 durin ...

. In 2014, the Velodrom has been the site of 32nd European Aquatics Championships. In 2017, cycling European Track Championship took place. On December 4, 2022,

Rosalía Rosalia Vila Tobella (born 25 September 1992), known mononymously as Rosalía (, ), is a Spanish singer. Born and raised in the outskirts of Barcelona, she has been described as an "atypical pop star" due to her genre-bending musical styles. ...

will perform a show from her

Motomami World Tour The Motomami World Tour was the third concert tour by Spanish singer Rosalía in support of her third studio album, ''Motomami'' (2022). Led by Live Nation Entertainment, the tour was officially announced on 18 April 2022. It began on 6 July 202 ...

References

External links

* Indoor arenas in Germany Sports venues in Berlin Velodromes in Germany Cycle racing in Germany Buildings and structures in Pankow {{Berlin-struct-stub

Architecture

Notable events

See also

References

External links