Belgrade Arena

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Beogradska arena

Location Belgrade, Serbia
Opened 2004
Owner City of Belgrade
Architect Vlada Slavica
Tenants
N/A
Capacity
20,000

Belgrade Arena (Serbian Cyrillic: Београдска арена, Serbian Latin: Beogradska arena), opened in 2004, is the biggest and most up-to-date sports complex in Belgrade, Serbia, and is designed as a universal hall for all sports events, including basketball, handball, volleyball, tennis, athletics, and a hall for cultural events and other programs. With the total space that covers 48,000 square metres[1], and a total capacity of up to 23,000 seats (for handball events; standard 20,000 seats), it is among biggest sport arenas in Europe. Its cost is estimated at €70 million.

Contents

[edit] History

In 1989, The City of Belgrade was chosen to host the Basketball World Championship of 1994. However, there was a condition for the city to build an all-new basketball arena. The city government immediately started a comepetition to find the best design of the new arena that was supposed to have a seat capacity of 20,000. Architect Vlada Slavica from Belgrade submitted the best design.

Belgrade Arena south-east
Belgrade Arena south-east

In 1991 a location for the project was chosen – “Block 25” in New Belgrade. However the project was already becoming problematic. There were only 3 years left to the World Championships and building this mega structure would have to be done in record time. A team of a 126 companies was formed to be part of the arena committee. Two architects were chosen to design the roof of the arena.

In 1992 construction started and the arena committee formed a partnership with American company HOK that has had many experiences with building sporting objects. However, tough times were ahead. As the conflicts and separation of Yugoslavia started, the United Nations imposed sanctions on Serbia (one of the two remaining republics of Yugoslavia at the time) and HOK stopped all co-operation with the arena committee. Even with this set back, work on the Belgrade Arena continued.

In 1993 Serbia went through one of its blackest years in modern history. The country was thrown into a record inflation rates, and as a result of the sanctions and the conflicts in Yugoslavia, Belgrade lost the right to host the 1994 Basketball World Championships.

Construction of the arena continued, however it was becoming slower as there was a lack of material and finally in 1995 construction of this what was to be world-class arena completely stopped. Work on the arena re-commenced in 1998 as the city was chosen to host the world table tennis competition in 1999 to be held in the Belgrade Arena. By this time the roof was already taking shape towards completion, part of the façade was done and the interior was half complete. Once again, Serbia lost the privilege to host the competition as the city was bombed by NATO forces the year the competition was supposed to be held.

After a change of government in Serbia in 2000 and the dropping of all sanctions imposed on the country, the Arena, under new management was completed by 2004 in time for the Diamond ball tournament and Belgrade finally got the right to host The European Basketball Championship 2005.

Temporary license for public use expired in early 2006, following a series of sport events and concerts in 2005. Works on automated fire prevention system and installation of elevators to meet European standards have been completed by November 2006, while no events were held in the Arena in the meantime. The Belgrade Arena received its permanent public use license on November 4, 2006.

[edit] Past events

Belgrade Arena seating chart
Belgrade Arena seating chart

[edit] 2000

[edit] 2004

[edit] 2005

[edit] 2006

[edit] 2007

[edit] Upcoming events

[edit] Location and contact

Volleyball World League Finals Serbia and Montenegro - Brazil, July 10, 2005: first sold out event in Belgrade Arena. Seats on Level 100 East and Level 100 West are missing due to the organizer's prediction that venue wouldn't be sold out.
Volleyball World League Finals Serbia and Montenegro - Brazil, July 10, 2005: first sold out event in Belgrade Arena. Seats on Level 100 East and Level 100 West are missing due to the organizer's prediction that venue wouldn't be sold out.
  • Mailing address
Beogradska arena
Španskih boraca 20
11070 Belgrade
Serbia

[edit] Public access

Belgrade Transport Authority bus lines 17, 18, 67, 88 and 601 serve the Arena. Within short walking distance are buses no. 16, 65, 68, 71, 74, 75, 94 and 95; trams 7, 9 and 11; Beovoz (Belgrade Suburban Train) station Novi Beograd.

Hotels Hyatt Regency Belgrade, Hotel Sava Belgrade and Hotel IN are also within walking distance of the venue.

Arena is situated on E-70/E-75 highway, leading to Novi Sad and Budapest in the North, Zagreb in the West and Niš and Athens in the South. Arena's parking is limited in spaces, though nearby residential areas provide enough room for vehicles.

It takes a 15-minute drive from Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport to the Arena. Ride from downtown Belgrade would take the same amount of time, unless in rush-hour, when it could take up to 30 minutes to get to central Novi Beograd, where Arena is located.

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ http://www.beograd.org.yu/cms/view.php?id=44326

[edit] External links

Coordinates: 44°48′50.95″N, 20°25′16.89″E

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