Baku Crystal Hall

Baku Crystal Hall

Exterior of Baku Crystal Hall
Full name Bakı Kristal Zalı
Location Baku, Azerbaijan
Coordinates 40°20′39″N 49°51′01″E / 40.3442°N 49.8502°E / 40.3442; 49.8502Coordinates: 40°20′39″N 49°51′01″E / 40.3442°N 49.8502°E / 40.3442; 49.8502
Owner Mayoralty of Baku
Capacity 12,000 (seated)[1]
27,000 (with standing room)[1]
Construction
Built August 2011 - April 2012
Opened 7 May 2012
Construction cost $350 million[2]
Architect GMP International GmbH[3]
Project manager Alpine Bau Deutschland AG,
Nussli Group,
Basler & Hofmann AG
Main contractors SSF Ingenieure AG,
seele austria GmbH & Co. KG
Website
www.crystalhall.az

Baku Crystal Hall (Azerbaijani: Bakı Kristal Zalı) is an indoor arena in Baku, Azerbaijan. Located on the coast of Baku near National Flag Square, construction of the arena began in August 2011 and finished in April 2012—in time for it to host its first major event, the 2012 edition of the Eurovision Song Contest.

History

Baku Crystal Hall was built in order to host the Eurovision Song Contest 2012.[4][5] On 2 August 2011, the main agreement was signed with Alpine Bau Deutschland AG to construct the venue and preparations for construction had been started in the area.[6] Even though the full cost of the contract was not named, the government allocated 6 million AZN for the construction of the venue.[7] On 5 September 2011, it was announced that the venue will hold 25,000 spectators.[8] The arena also contains VIP lounges.[8]

The construction of the arena was expected to be completed by 31 March 2012.[9] However, there was a delay of three weeks because of weather conditions, and the building was announced to have been completed on 16 April 2012.[10][11] Baku Crystal Hall was opened on 7 May 2012 by the President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva.[12]

Usage

Concerts

Baku Crystal Hall
Map location of Baku Crystal Hall

Baku Crystal Hall's first major event was the 2012 Eurovision Song Contest, held at the arena from 22 May to 26 May 2012.[13] Jennifer Lopez, Shakira and Rihanna performed concerts at Baku Crystal Hall later in 2012.[14]

Culture

Baku Crystal Hall hosted the 6th e-Sports World Championship held by the International e-Sports Federation in November 2014.[15]

Sports

Baku Crystal Hall hosted Boxing, Karate, Taekwondo, Fencing and volleyball (indoor) events during the inaugural 2015 European Games.[16]

From 1 to 14 September 2016, Baku Crystal Hall was be the venue for FIDE's 42nd Chess Olympiad, where 182 teams from 176 countries participated.

References

  1. 1 2 crystalhall.az - History
  2. ↑ Die Arena, die niemand fotografieren darf
  3. ↑ Cay Dobberke (4 February 2012). "Aufbauhilfe für Baku". Der Tagesspiegel. Retrieved 1 June 2012.
  4. ↑ Yalcinkaya, Hakan (8 September 2011). "Azerbaijan: Baku Crystal Hall to host Eurovision 2012". ESCToday. Retrieved 8 September 2011.
  5. ↑ http://www.eurovision.tv/page/news?id=45013&_t=crystal_hall_approved_as_eurovision_2012_venue
  6. ↑ "German company to construct Modern Sport-Concert Complex in Azerbaijan’s capital". en.apa.az. APA News Agency. Archived from the original on 25 March 2012. Retrieved 1 September 2011.
  7. ↑ "Second largest sport-concert complex to appear in Baku in April 2012". abc.az. FINEKO Analytic & Informational Agency. Archived from the original on 22 January 2012. Retrieved 1 September 2011.
  8. 1 2 "Venue likely to host Eurovision 2012 in Baku to be biggest ever in recent history of contest". en.trend.az. Trend News Agency. Retrieved 9 September 2011.
  9. ↑ "Арена, на которой может пройти "Евровидение-2012", будет самой крупной". 1news.az. Archived from the original on 28 September 2011. Retrieved 8 September 2011.
  10. ↑ "Although the weather created some challenges, Baku Crystal Hall was completed in accordance with all standards". eurovision.az. Retrieved 16 April 2012.
  11. ↑ McGuinness, Damien (22 December 2011). "'Evicted in Baku to make way for Eurovision'". BBC News. Retrieved 17 February 2012.
  12. ↑ "Azerbaijani President opens Baku Crystal Hall – arena of Eurovision-2012 (PHOTO)". en.trend.az. 7 May 2012. Retrieved 5 November 2016.
  13. ↑ Jarmo Siim (25 January 2012). "Crystal Hall approved as Eurovision 2012 venue". European Broadcasting Union. Retrieved 25 January 2012.
  14. ↑ I. Asadova. JLo, Rihanna and Shakira at Baku Crystal Hall Archived April 15, 2012, at the Wayback Machine.. Echo. 13 June 2012.
  15. ↑ Official facebook post - IeSF World Championship to be held in Baku Crystal Hall
  16. ↑ "Holding I European Games in Baku is historic event – Mehriban Aliyeva". News.az. Retrieved 9 February 2013.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Baku Crystal Hall.
Preceded by
Esprit Arena
Düsseldorf		 Eurovision Song Contest
Venue
2012 		Succeeded by
Malmö Arena
Malmö
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