![Westfalenhalle 2](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/94/Westfalenhalle_2.jpg)
Westfalenhallen (English: Halls of
Westphalia
Westphalia (; german: Westfalen ; nds, Westfalen ) is a region of northwestern Germany and one of the three historic parts of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. It has an area of and 7.9 million inhabitants.
The territory of the regio ...
) is a commercial complex composed of conference (Kongresszentrum Dortmund) and exhibition centers (Messe Dortmund) with an indoor arena (Westfalenhalle), located in
Dortmund
Dortmund (; Westphalian nds, Düörpm ; la, Tremonia) is the third-largest city in North Rhine-Westphalia after Cologne and Düsseldorf, and the eighth-largest city of Germany, with a population of 588,250 inhabitants as of 2021. It is the la ...
, Germany. It is surrounded by the
Eissportzentrum Westfalenhallen
Eissportzentrum Westfalenhallen is an indoor sporting arena at the Strobelallee in Dortmund, Germany. It is primarily used for ice hockey and is the home arena of Eisadler Dortmund, and of the figure skating
Figure skating is a sport in w ...
,
Stadion Rote Erde
Stadion Rote Erde (; ''Red Earth Stadium'') is a 25,000 capacity (3,000 seated) football and athletics stadium in Dortmund, North Rhine-Westphalia. It serves as the home stadium to Borussia Dortmund II and several athletic clubs. The stadium was ...
,
Signal Iduna Park
Westfalenstadion (, ) is a football stadium in Dortmund, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, which is the home of Borussia Dortmund. Officially called Signal Iduna Park for sponsorship reasons and BVB Stadion Dortmund in UEFA competitions, the na ...
and
Helmut-Körnig-Halle.
The original building was opened in 1925, but was destroyed during World War II.
Reopening on 2 February 1952, new halls were built, the "Große Westfalenhalle".
The "Kleine Westfalenhalle" served also for balls, exhibitions and concerts, such as the
Dortmunder Philharmoniker
The Dortmunder Philharmoniker (Dortmund Philharmonic) are a German symphony orchestra based in Dortmund. The orchestra of the Theater Dortmund performs opera in the Opernhaus Dortmund and concert in the Konzerthaus Dortmund. The orchestra was ...
, until the
Opernhaus Dortmund
Opernhaus Dortmund is the opera house of Dortmund, Germany, operated by the Theater Dortmund organisation. A new opera house opened in 1966, replacing an earlier facility which opened in 1904 and was destroyed during World War I. It was built o ...
was opened in 1966. The
Bundesliga
The Bundesliga (; ), sometimes referred to as the Fußball-Bundesliga () or 1. Bundesliga (), is a professional association football league in Germany. At the top of the German football league system, the Bundesliga is Germany's primary footba ...
was founded at the Westfalenhallen in 1962.
Events
The venue played host to the 1964, 1980 and 2004 World Figure Skating Championships, as well as the 1955, 1983 and 1993
IIHF
The International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF; french: Fédération internationale de hockey sur glace; german: Internationale Eishockey-Föderation) is a worldwide governing body for ice hockey. It is based in Zurich, Switzerland, and has 83 m ...
Ice Hockey World Championships
The Ice Hockey World Championships are an annual international men's ice hockey tournament organized by the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF). First officially held at the 1920 Summer Olympics, it is the sport's highest profile annua ...
tournaments.
Bob Marley and The Wailers
Bob Marley and the Wailers (previously known as The Wailers, and prior to that The Wailing Rudeboys, The Wailing Wailers and The Teenagers) were a Jamaican ska, rocksteady and reggae band. The founding members, in 1963, were Bob Marley (Robert ...
performed on 13 June 1980 as part of their
in support of their new release (1980 Uprising Album) at the venue.
Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd are an English rock band formed in London in 1965. Gaining an early following as one of the first British psychedelic music, psychedelic groups, they were distinguished by their extended compositions, sonic experimentation, philo ...
performed two concerts on 23 and 24 January 1977 as part of their
In the Flesh Tour (1977 Pink Floyd 'Animals' tour) at the venue.
ABBA
ABBA ( , , formerly named Björn & Benny, Agnetha & Anni-Frid or Björn & Benny, Agnetha & Frida) are a Swedish supergroup formed in Stockholm in 1972 by Agnetha Fältskog, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson, and Anni-Frid Lyngstad. The group's ...
performed on 25 October 1979 as part of
ABBA: The Tour at the venue.
In 1981, the venue was one of only four locations worldwide of
The Wall Tour
''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...
, by
Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd are an English rock band formed in London in 1965. Gaining an early following as one of the first British psychedelic music, psychedelic groups, they were distinguished by their extended compositions, sonic experimentation, philo ...
, along with
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
,
Uniondale (
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
New York may also refer to:
Film and television
* '' ...
) and
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
. They returned to perform three concerts on 27, 28 and 29 June 1988 as part of their
A Momentary Lapse of Reason Tour
A Momentary Lapse of Reason Tour was two consecutive concert tours by the British rock band Pink Floyd. The ''A Momentary Lapse of Reason tour'' ran from September 1987 to August 1988; the ''Another Lapse tour'' ran from May–July 1989. Both t ...
.
In 1983, the venue hosted the Rock Pop Festival, featuring
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 ...
(headliner band),
Scorpions
Scorpions are predatory arachnids of the order Scorpiones. They have eight legs, and are easily recognized by a pair of grasping pincers and a narrow, segmented tail, often carried in a characteristic forward curve over the back and always end ...
,
Ozzy Osbourne
John Michael "Ozzy" Osbourne (born 3 December 1948) is an English singer, songwriter, and television personality. He rose to prominence during the 1970s as the lead vocalist of the heavy metal band Black Sabbath, during which period he adop ...
,
Def Leppard
Def Leppard are an English rock band formed in 1976 in Sheffield. Since 1992, the band has consisted of Rick Savage (bass, backing vocals), Joe Elliott (lead vocals), Rick Allen (drums, backing vocals), Phil Collen (guitar, backing vocals), a ...
,
Quiet Riot
Quiet Riot is an American Heavy metal music, heavy metal band founded in Los Angeles in 1973 by guitarist Randy Rhoads and bassist Kelly Garni.
The original lineup featured Rhoads and Garni with lead vocalist Kevin DuBrow and drummer Drew F ...
,
Judas Priest
Judas Priest are an English heavy metal band formed in Birmingham in 1969. They have sold over 50 million albums and are frequently ranked as one of the greatest metal bands of all time. Despite an innovative and pioneering body of work in th ...
,
Krokus and The
Michael Schenker Group
The Michael Schenker Group (often abbreviated as MSG) are a guitar-oriented hard rock band, formed in London in 1979 by former Scorpions and UFO guitarist Michael Schenker. In 1986, Schenker and vocalist Robin McAuley formed the McAuley Schenke ...
- one of the largest
heavy metal lineups of all time, featuring these bands at the peak of their careers.
In November 1984, U2 played the venue, as part of the Unforgettable Fire Tour. The performance was recorded and can be found on YouTube.
Portions of
Yes's
9012Live: The Solos live album which was released in 1985 were recorded at the venue.
In 1988,
Prince
A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. Th ...
broadcast a performance from the venue live via satellite across Europe, later releasing it on video.
The
Spice Girls
The Spice Girls are a British girl group formed in 1994, consisting of Melanie Brown, also known as Mel B ("Scary Spice"); Melanie Chisholm, or Melanie C ("Sporty Spice"); Emma Bunton ("Baby Spice"); Geri Halliwell ("Ginger Spice"); and Vict ...
performed at the venue on April 1, 1998 on the European Leg of the
Spiceworld Tour
The Spiceworld Tour (also known as Spice Girls in Concert and the Girl Power Tour '98) was the debut concert tour by British girl group the Spice Girls. It was launched in support of their second studio album '' Spiceworld'' (1997). The sell-out ...
.
Iron Maiden recorded ''
Death on the Road
''Death on the Road'' is a live album and video released by British heavy metal band Iron Maiden on 29 August 2005 on CD and vinyl, and on 6 February 2006 on DVD. The album was recorded at Westfalenhallen in Dortmund, Germany on 24 November 200 ...
'', a live CD/DVD, at the venue on November 24, 2003.
Madonna performed a concert at the venue during the
Blond Ambition World Tour
The Blond Ambition World Tour (billed as Blond Ambition World Tour 90) was the third concert tour by American singer Madonna. It supported her fourth studio album '' Like a Prayer'' (1989), and the soundtrack album to the 1990 film ''Dick Tracy ...
in 1990.
Floor areas of Messe Westfalenhalle
Public transport
![NRW, Dortmund - U-Bahn Station Westfalenhallen](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8f/NRW%2C_Dortmund_-_U-Bahn_Station_Westfalenhallen.jpg)
is officially a terminus station of the
Dortmund Stadtbahn
__NOTOC__
The Dortmund Stadtbahn is a light rail system in the German city of Dortmund and is integrated in the Rhine-Ruhr Stadtbahn network. Its network consists of eight lines and is operated by Dortmunder Stadtwerke, which is operating un ...
(urban rail) line U45 and U46, part of the
Verkehrsverbund Rhein-Ruhr
The Verkehrsverbund Rhein-Ruhr (), abbreviated VRR, is a public transport association (Verkehrsverbund) in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. It covers most of the Ruhr area, as well as neighbouring parts of the Lower Rhine region, includ ...
(VRR). Practically, it is not a terminus station: The trains of the line U46 continue as U45 to the
central station
Central stations or central railway stations emerged in the second half of the nineteenth century as railway stations that had initially been built on the edge of city centres were enveloped by urban expansion and became an integral part of the ...
, while the U45 trains usually continue as U46 to Brunnenstraße. In case of football matches of
Borussia Dortmund
Ballspielverein Borussia 09 e. V. Dortmund, commonly known as Borussia Dortmund (), BVB (), or simply Dortmund (), is a German professional sports club based in Dortmund, North Rhine-Westphalia. It is best known for its men's professional footb ...
or other events at
Signal Iduna Park
Westfalenstadion (, ) is a football stadium in Dortmund, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, which is the home of Borussia Dortmund. Officially called Signal Iduna Park for sponsorship reasons and BVB Stadion Dortmund in UEFA competitions, the na ...
, the trains serve the terminus station
''Stadion''.
External links
Kongresszentrum Dortmund
References
Indoor arenas in Germany
Tourist attractions in North Rhine-Westphalia
Buildings and structures in Dortmund
Indoor ice hockey venues in Germany
Convention centres in Germany
Indoor track and field venues
Sports venues in North Rhine-Westphalia
Velodromes in Germany
{{NorthRhineWestphalia-struct-stub