O2 World Berlin

Polar bears Berlin ( DEL) Alba Berlin ( BBL)

The O2 World Berlin ( English pronunciation O -two ) is a multi-purpose facility in the Berlin district of Friedrichshain ( district of Friedrichshain- Kreuzberg).

The foundation stone was laid on 13 September 2006. The opening ceremony took place on 10 September 2008.

In the indoor sports events such as ice hockey and basketball will be held, along with concerts and other events. With up to 17,000 seats and standing room, 59 suites and spectators around 2000 parking spaces the O2 World Berlin is after the Lanxess Arena in Cologne, the largest multi-purpose arena in Germany.

Environment and use

The hall was built on the site of the former Ostgüterbahnhof railway station at the mill road, it is part of the Media Spree development plan, an investor project, funded under the Senate project Stadtumbau West to colonize communications and media companies along part of the Spree bank. In the extensive grounds around the hall cinemas, a casino, a hotel, restaurants and other facilities are to be built.

The hall is through the nearby holding stations Ostbahnhof (S -Bahn, regional trains, long-distance trains, buses, night ) and Warschauer Straße (S- and U -Bahn, tram, bus ) well connected to the transportation network of public transport. There is also a private boat landing on the river Spree.

Client and investor is the Anschutz Entertainment Group, the stadiums, halls and theater operates and applies worldwide. The company Telefónica Germany (O2) has acquired the naming rights to the arena before the foundation stone was laid in 2006. Over the life (10 to 15 years), there are different information, as well as the purchase price to be between 15 million euros and a three-digit million amount.

The hall is home ground for the Hockey Club Polar bears Berlin and the basketball club Alba Berlin. 2009 Final Four of the ULEB Euro League was held at the O2 World Berlin. It is also used for other events, for example, used as a stage for sporting events and concerts as well as a meeting room. So found the MTV Europe Music Awards 2009 held at the O2 World Berlin.

In the worldwide traffic ranking Pollstar, the O2 World Berlin in the first half of 2010, with 230 857 visitors behind operated by the Anschutz Entertainment Group namesake O2 World Hamburg (8th place with 296 025 people) at No. 13 improved compared to 2008 ( 94 place) and 2009 ( 46th place ) was highly improved. Far behind only follow on the 47th the SAP Arena in Mannheim ( 116 442 visitors), number 58, the Düsseldorf ESPRIT Arena ( 93 498 ), number 62, the Cologne Lanxess Arena ( 89 222 ), ranked 71, the Olympic Hall in Munich ( 82 272 ), on Place 73 with Hannover TUI Arena ( 81 268 ) and number 97 Oberhausen König-Pilsener- Arena ( 58 225 ).

2011 Best Buddies Friendship Bear by Brazilian artist Romero Britto was erected on the site in order to remind people with an intellectual disability, which inspire the society.

As part of Berlin lights in 2013 transformed the artist Jakob copper O2 World Berlin into a temporary art installation. The glazed main facade of the O2 World with 300,000 LED clusters and a size of 116 x 12 meters, one of the largest LED outdoor installations in the world.

Specifications

• Arena area: 60,000 m²
• Gross volume: 500.000 m³
• Height: 35 m
• Width: 130 m
• Length: 160 m
• Ice Hockey Rink: 60 m × 30 m
• Up to 17,000 seats and standing places

Criticism

Even before the completion of the construction project has been repeatedly criticized. Already the foundation stone was accompanied by a demonstration of several hundred opponents of the Media Spree project. Were accused of ordering to be largely responsible for the ongoing gentrification of the surrounding neighborhoods to create precarious working conditions and devalue the surrounding area with oversized advertising monitors.

During the part of the project proponent for the economic upgrading of the area and the newly emerging after operator data up to 2000 jobs will be emphasized refer the critic to the subsidies, with which the project from public funds is conveyed while simultaneously climb the subsidies for the already existing urban Halls because this will be the future less busy.

As nuisance was also felt that a part of the protected residues of the hinterland Wall East Side Gallery has been removed in order to realize a direct jetty on the River Spree for the event hall can.

Fans of the Berlin polar bear who - most of which have season tickets - to come to the home games in the hall, complained about for months in its opinion, the high prices and the poor quality of the food and drinks. The argument about was increasingly held in public and culminated in January 2009 in a demonstration.