Scandinavium
Location | Valhallagatan 1 Gothenburg, Sweden |
---|---|
Coordinates | 57°41′57″N 11°59′16″E / 57.69917°N 11.98778°E |
Owner | Idrotts- och kulturcentrum Scandinavium i Göteborg AB |
Operator | Got Event |
Capacity | Handball: 12,312 Ice hockey: 12,044 Concerts: 14,000 |
Record attendance | 14,606 (Whitney Houston; 29 May 1988)[1] |
Construction | |
Built | May 1969 — May 1971 |
Opened | 18 May 1971 |
Renovated | 2001, 2006 |
Expanded | 1990 |
Construction cost | 31 million SEK |
Architect | Poul Hultberg |
Tenants | |
Frölunda HC (SHL) (1971–present) Redbergslids IK (Handbollsligan) (2019–present) |
Scandinavium (Swedish pronunciation:
Scandinavium has been selected as a championship arena at least fifty times, hosting events such as World Championships in handball and ice hockey, European championships,
History
Plans to build an arena at the site were part of a proposal originating from 1931 to build a
In the 1962 election campaign the Swedish Social Democratic Party guaranteed that they would build the arena if they won the election. The Social Democrats won the election and a pre-planning process was started but financing was still an issue and the plans were yet again put on hold. In 1968 a committee assigned to plan the 350th year celebration of Gothenburg considered that it was a good idea to build the arena in time for the celebrations in 1971, making it a lasting memory of the anniversary. A company responsible for the construction was formed by the municipality and private investors, while Hultberg was asked to revise his 23-year-old designs. An estimated construction cost of twenty-three million SEK caused wild protests and intense debates but did not delay the progress. In May 1969 it was discovered that there was no construction permit for the arena, delaying the start of construction for a few weeks. When tartan tracks were installed near the end of construction, the concentration of flammable gases in the building was so high that one spark could have potentially blown up the entire structure. When construction was completed in May 1971, Scandinavium stood as the largest covered arena in northern Europe with an attendance capacity of 14,000 spectators. The construction cost totaled 31 million SEK, which resulted in an eight million SEK budget deficit.
In May 2023, the Gothenburg city council approved the construction of a new sports facility on the site of the Valhalla Swimming Hall, which will be followed by the demolition of the current arena.[4]
Structure and facilities
Scandinavium's "sweeping appearance" comes from the
The seating in Scandinavium is arranged in a one-level monolithic grandstand. The round design of the structure and the symmetric oval shape of the 4,100 m2 (44,000 sq ft) arena floor results in more rows along the length of the floor. The first six rows are telescopic seating which can be electrically retracted.[6] There are forty-four executive boxes in the arena, located between the two northern pylons.
The
For the 2011
The arena also contains a McDonald's restaurant, and the familiar golden arches are placed atop the arena's street sign.
Location and transportation
Scandinavium is located in central Gothenburg, in the
When Frölunda and the Ottawa Senators played an exhibition game on 2 October 2008, spectators could use their game tickets for free travel with public transportation within Gothenburg's municipality, before and after the game. Extra trams and buses were in traffic during this time. The campaign was a test to see if it would be possible to include a public transportation fee on tickets to future events.[11]
Due to Scandinavium's central location the arena site itself does not have any public parking spaces, parking is only provided for sponsors, the press, and event personnel at a guard-gated parking lot next to Valhalla IP.[12] Visitors are guided to eighteen nearby parking lots and parking garages—with a total of 7,000 parking spaces—by the event districts parking guidance and information system.[13] The system has a total of 130 digital signs, located on motorways with information about which exit to use, and on streets in the city with more detailed information about directions and number of available parking spaces.[13]
Notable events
Event | Year(s) |
---|---|
European Figure Skating Championships | 1972, 1980, 1985 |
European Athletics Indoor Championships | 1974, 1984, 2013[14] |
World Figure Skating Championships | 1976, 2008 |
IIHF Men's World Ice Hockey Championships
|
2002
|
IIHF World Junior Championship | 2024 |
Men's World Floorball Championships | 2014 |
ITF Davis Cup Final | 1984, 1987, 1988, 1997 |
Eurovision Song Contest | 1985 |
FINA Swimming World Cup
|
1988, 1989 |
FINA Short Course World Championships
|
1997
|
ISU World Synchronized Skating Championships | 2005, 2012 |
European Women's Handball Championship | 2006, 2016 |
European Men's Handball Championship | 2002 |
World Men's Handball Championships
|
1993, 2011, 2023 |
The arena has also hosted a heat of
The arena has hosted concerts by many famous artists, spanning many different genres. Some of the first major concerts to take place at the venue were performed by The Who, Deep Purple and Led Zeppelin during their 1972 and 1973 European Tours respectively. In May 1988, pop/R&B superstar, Whitney Houston, would set the record attendance with 14,606 tickets sold on her Moment of Truth World Tour. Iron Maiden have performed at the arena the most with a total of nine times, the latest being in 2006.
The arena was one of the potential candidate venues to host the Eurovision Song Contest in 2013 and again in 2024.[16][17] In the end, the Malmö Arena was chosen to host the contest on both occasions. However, the venue eventually hosted the second heat of Melodifestivalen 2024.[18]
See also
- List of indoor arenas in Sweden
- List of indoor arenas in Nordic countries
- List of European ice hockey arenas
References
- ^ "GOT EVENT AB | SCANDINAVIUM - Arenafakta". Archived from the original on 2013-09-27. Retrieved 2013-01-27.
- ^ O'Yeah, Zac (8 March 2019). "Gothenburg: A City Built on Rock 'n' Roll". natgeotraveller.in. National Geographic Traveller India. Archived from the original on 13 March 2019. Retrieved 7 June 2022.
- ^ "History". Frölunda HC (in Swedish). Retrieved 2023-01-06.
- ^ Karlsson, Samuel (16 May 2023). "Här vill politikerna bygga nya Scandinavium" [Here is where politicians want to build the new Scandinavium]. Byggvärlden (in Swedish). Retrieved 21 May 2023.
- OCLC 162409429.
- ^ "KERKO – telescopic seating" (PDF). Kerko Sport Group. p. 4. Retrieved 2008-09-16.[dead link]
- ^ a b "Verksamheten 2001 Got Event" (PDF) (in Swedish). Got Event. 2001. Retrieved 2008-07-10.
- ^ Olofsson, Carina (2012-02-20). "Ridsand för miljoner". Göteborgs-Posten (in Swedish). Retrieved 2012-02-21.
- ^ "CENTRUM — Beskrivning av stadsdelen" (PDF) (in Swedish). Gothenburg Municipality. March 2008. Retrieved 2008-07-27.
- ^ "Västlänken — en tågtunnel under Göteborg" (PDF) (in Swedish). Banverket, Gothenburg Municipality, GR, Västra Götaland Regional Council, and Västtrafik. 2006-02-09. pp. 16–18. Retrieved 2008-07-26.[permanent dead link]
- ^ Sahlberg, Anders (2008-09-17). "Åk gratis – och kolla in "Alfie"". Göteborgs-Posten (in Swedish). Retrieved 2008-11-26.
- ^ "Partner 08/09" (PDF) (in Swedish). Frölunda HC. 2008. Retrieved 2008-07-26.
- ^ a b "Så prioriteras evenemangen som syns på skyltarna" (PDF) (in Swedish). Swedish Road Administration. May 2005. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2015-10-17. Retrieved 2008-07-08.
- ^ våra arenor & anläggningar Archived 2008-09-28 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Forsell, Mikael (2009-08-27). "Schlagerstäderna för nästa år klara". Dagens Nyheter. Retrieved 2009-08-27.
- ^ Gustavsson, Rikard (28 May 2012). "The bidding has started!". ESCToday.com. Retrieved 28 May 2012.
- ^ Andersson, Rafaell (2023-06-10). "Eurovision 2024: Gothenburg Prepares Bid To Host". Eurovoix. Retrieved 2023-06-10.
- ^ Conte, Davide (20 September 2023). "Sweden: Melodifestivalen 2024 Dates and Host Cities Announced". Eurovoix. Retrieved 20 September 2023.
External links
- Scandinavium — Official site
- Frölunda Indians — Official site
- Göteborg Horse Show — Official site
- Förvaltnings AB Framtiden — Official site
Events and tenants | ||
---|---|---|
Preceded by Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy , Paris |
2013
|
Succeeded by |
Preceded by | Davis Cup Final venue 1984 1987, 1988 1997 |
Succeeded by Fila Forum, Milan |
Preceded by Luxembourg City |
Eurovision Song Contest Venue 1985 |
Succeeded by |
Preceded by Metropolitan Gymnasium, Tokyo
|
World Figure Skating Championships Venue 2008 |
Succeeded by Los Angeles |
Preceded by | Succeeded by TBD
| |
Preceded by | European Women's Handball Championship Final Venue 2016 |
Succeeded by Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy , Paris |