The Wunderino-Arena (formerly known as Ostseehalle) is an 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 ...

, in

Kiel Kiel () is the capital and most populous city in the northern German state of Schleswig-Holstein, with a population of 246,243 (2021). Kiel lies approximately north of Hamburg. Due to its geographic location in the southeast of the Jutland ...

, Germany. It is primarily used by

THW Kiel THW Kiel is a handball club from Kiel, Germany. Currently, they compete in the Handball-Bundesliga and are the record champion with 22 titles. 2007 and 2012 were the most successful years in the club's history, as THW completed the treble, wi ...

(

team 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 ...

) and as a venue for rock/pop concerts. It holds up to 13,500 people.

History

Construction was determined in 1950 by the Kiel council meeting. The Osteseehalle was initiated on 17 June 1951, during the

Kiel Week The Kiel Week (german: Kieler Woche) or Kiel Regatta is an annual sailing event in Kiel, the capital of Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It is the largest sailing event in Europe, and also one of the largest Volksfeste in Germany, attracting ...

and was eventually finished in 1952. For this purpose, the steel construction of a retired airplane hangar, from an airbase on the island

Sylt Sylt (; da, Sild; Sylt North Frisian, Söl'ring North Frisian: ) is an island in northern Germany, part of Nordfriesland district, Schleswig-Holstein, and well known for the distinctive shape of its shoreline. It belongs to the North Frisian ...

, was dismantled and brought to Kiel. Over the course of decades, the arena was constantly redeveloped, and since renovations finished in September 2001, it is now "prepared for the next 50 years", according to the operators. On 1 January 2008, the

Sparkassen-Finanzgruppe The ''Sparkassen-Finanzgruppe'' ("Savings Banks Financial Group") is a network of public banks that together form the largest financial services group in Germany and in all of Europe. Its name refers to local government-controlled savings banks ...

purchased the naming rights. On 1 July 2020, the name changed to Wunderino Arena. On 16 April 2002, Irish vocal pop band

Westlife Westlife is an Irish pop vocal group formed in Dublin, Ireland in 1998. The group currently consists of members Shane Filan, Mark Feehily, Kian Egan, and Nicky Byrne. Brian McFadden was a member, until he left in 2004. The group temporarily di ...

held a concert for their World of Our Own Tour supporting their album

World of Our Own ''World of Our Own'' is the third studio album recorded by Irish boy band Westlife. It was released through RCA Records on 12 November 2001. This is their third album release under RCA and Sony Music. It was also the band's third album to be re ...

References

External links

*
Portrait of the Sparkassen-Arena
Sports venues in Schleswig-Holstein Handball venues in Germany Indoor arenas in Germany Buildings and structures in Kiel {{SchleswigHolstein-struct-stub

History

See also

References

External links