Wiener Stadthalle (German: [ˈviːnɐ ˈʃtathalə]; English: Viennese City Hall) is a multi-purpose indoor arena and convention center located in the 15th district of Vienna, Austria. Austrian architect Roland Rainer designed the original halls which were constructed between 1953 and 1958, and later expanded in 1974, 1994 and 2006. The main hall, a multi-purpose venue, is Austria's largest indoor arena with a seating capacity of approximately 16,152 people.

Wiener Stadthalle
Exterior view of the main hall in 2008
Map
LocationRoland Rainer Platz 1, 1150 Rudolfsheim-Fünfhaus, Vienna, Austria
Coordinates48°12′07″N 16°19′58″E / 48.20194°N 16.33278°E / 48.20194; 16.33278
Public transit at Burggasse-Stadthalle
at Westbahnhof
at Wien Westbahnhof
OwnerCity of Vienna
Capacity16,152 (Hall D)
1,482 (Hall E)
2,036 (Hall F)
SurfaceVersatile
Construction
Built1953–1958
Opened19 October 1957 (Halls A and B)
1 March 1958 (Hall C)
21 June 1958 (Hall D)
1994 (Hall E)
2006 (Hall F)
Expanded1958, 1974, 1994, 2006
ArchitectRoland Rainer
Dietrich/Untertrifaller (Hall F)
Website
www.stadthalle.com

Since 2006, the complex has housed six main venues (each of which can be used separately or combined) consisting of two gymnasiums, an indoor ice rink, large-capacity indoor arena, a small multi-purpose hall, an auditorium with a show stage and an adjacent swimming pool. It serves as a venue for a variety of events, including concerts, exhibitions, trade fairs, conferences, lectures, theatre, TV and sports.

The Wiener Stadthalle is a subsidiary of Wien Holding and stages more than 350 events each year that attract around one million visitors.[1] Halls A, B and C, as well as the Stadthallenbad, are managed by the Viennese sports venues corporation GmbH.

History of events

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Stadthalle (Hall D) in around 1972

The arena has been site of the annual Erste Bank Open tennis tournament since 1974 and has hosted the ice shows Vienna Ice Revue and Holiday on Ice, the touring horse show Apassionata annually and the circus show Artisten-Tiere-Attraktionen from 1959 to 1995.[2]

The Stadthalle has also hosted a number of sporting events including the 1970 European Athletics Indoor Championships, the 2004 European Short Course Swimming Championships, the 2010 and 2020 European Men's Handball Championship, the 2011 Men's European Volleyball Championship, the Austrian International open badminton tournament and the Ice Hockey World Championships in 1967, 1977, 1987, 1996 and 2005.

Austrian broadcaster ORF announced on August 6, 2014, that Stadthalle would be the host venue for the Eurovision Song Contest 2015, following the victory of Conchita Wurst in the 2014 Final in Copenhagen, Denmark.[3] The arena hosted the 60th contest in the main hall; the semi-finals were held on May 19 and 21 and the grand final was held on the night of May 23, 2015, where Måns Zelmerlöw won the contest for Sweden.[4]

Building

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Wall-bound mosaic "Orientation Plan" by Carl Unger on public display (May 2017)

The complex comprises 6 interconnecting halls: A and B (gymnasiums built in 1957, which can also be used for conferences or lectures), C (indoor ice rink), D (indoor arena, mostly for concerts or sport), E (small multi-purpose hall for smaller events) and F (arena hall for more intimate concerts).

Halls A and B

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Halls A and B were completed in 1957 as a gymnasium and sports hall. Hall A is 18 by 36 metres (59 ft × 118 ft) and 7.6 metres (25 ft) high, whilst Hall B is 30 by 60 metres (98 ft × 197 ft) and 11.8 metres (39 ft) high. Both halls can also be used for conferences or lectures. The basement of Hall A houses training rooms and the lower level of Hall B contains bowling lanes and dressing rooms.

Hall C

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Hall C, completed in 1958, houses an ice rink 30 by 60 by 7.3 metres (98 ft × 197 ft × 24 ft) and is operated by Die EisStadthalle.

Hall D

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Masters of Dirt Show Vienna 2016
 
2016 Erste Bank Open

Completed in 1958, the large multi-purpose main hall is Austria's largest indoor arena. The structure is 98 by 110 metres (322 ft × 361 ft) and has a ridge height of 26.6 metres (87 ft) with a usable floor area measuring 98 by 55.2 by 15.4 metres (322 ft × 181 ft × 51 ft). It has a capacity of up to 16,152 depending on the event. The venue has special curtain systems and ground-level stands on the north and south sides of the hall which can be fully closed to divide the hall into several parts. The stage can be up to 600 square metres (6,500 sq ft) and is supported with two VIP rooms, dressing rooms and offices backstage.

Pearl Jam concert being held in the arena's main hall in June 2014

Hall E

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The small multi-purpose hall was completed in 1994 and holds up to 1,482. It is 50 by 25 by 4.5 metres (164 ft × 82 ft × 15 ft) and is used mainly for exhibitions, conventions and social receptions.

Hall F

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Conceived as an arena hall, Hall F was completed in 2006 and holds up to 2,036 visitors in raked theatre seating. It is 68.2 by 73.4 by 12.5 metres (224 ft × 241 ft × 41 ft). The hall has a built-in catwalk and an audio and video system. To accommodate visitors, there is a 1,300 square metres (14,000 sq ft) foyer, a connected restaurant with two additional foyers of 400 square metres (4,300 sq ft) and a banquet hall of 300 square metres (3,200 sq ft).

Stadthallenbad

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In 1974, the additional Stadthallenbad and three public swimming pools, were constructed. For the 2004 European Short Course Swimming Championships, the center added a temporary pool of 1,025 square metres (11,030 sq ft).

Entertainment

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Wiener Stadthalle, Betriebs- und Veranstaltungsges.m.b.H." Vienna Convention Bureau. Archived from the original on December 24, 2014. Retrieved December 24, 2014.
  2. ^ "Artisten Tiere Attraktionen". circusarchiv.com. Retrieved December 24, 2014.
  3. ^ Zarb, Noel (August 6, 2014). "Host city announcement: We're off to Vienna for Eurovision 2015!". Eurovision 2015 Predictions, Polls, Odds, Rankings – wiwibloggs. Retrieved December 24, 2014.
  4. ^ "Vienna chosen to host 2015 Eurovision Song Contest". Yahoo! News. Agence France-Presse. August 6, 2014. Retrieved December 24, 2014.
  5. ^ "Robbie Williams heizt heute den Wienerinnen ein" [Robbie Williams warms the Viennese]. ORF news (in German). March 13, 2001. Retrieved December 24, 2014.
  6. ^ "Mariah Carey – erstmals live in Wien". www.wienholding.at.
  7. ^ "Wiener Stadthalle-News" [Wiener Stadthalle News] (in German). Boerse-Express. January 20, 2004. Retrieved January 20, 2004.
  8. ^ "KONZERTSHOW REGINE VELASQUEZ" [KONZERTSHOW REGINE VELASQUEZ] (in German). Helmut Graf. February 21, 2004. Retrieved February 21, 2004.
  9. ^ "Wiener Stadthalle Eventsuche". Stadthalle. May 30, 2004. Archived from the original on May 30, 2004. Retrieved February 10, 2017.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  10. ^ "Wiener Stadthalle Eventsuche Snaps". Stadthalle. May 30, 2004. Archived from the original on April 23, 2004. Retrieved February 10, 2017.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  11. ^ "Besuch von der Märchentante Britney Spears" [A Visit from Fairy Godmother Britney Spears]. Der Standard (in German). May 28, 2004. Retrieved December 24, 2014.
  12. ^ "Gwen Stefani rockt in Wien" [Gwen Stefani rocks in Vienna]. Austria.com (in German). March 28, 2007. Retrieved December 24, 2014.
  13. ^ "Ennio Morricone kommt mit eigenem Orchester nach Wien" [Ennio Morricone comes to Vienna with his own orchestra]. Der Standard (in German). November 28, 2007. Retrieved December 24, 2014.
  14. ^ m.b.H., STANDARD Verlagsgesellschaft. "Nina Hagen Stargast des Wiener "Uferlos"-Festivals".
  15. ^ "Prince gibt sich in der Stadthalle die Ehre" [Prince honors himself in Stadthalle] (in German). ORF. December 7, 2002. Retrieved December 24, 2014.
  16. ^ "Rihanna kommt für ein Konzert in die Wiener Stadthalle" [Rihanna arrives for a concert at the Wiener Stadthalle]. OBB News (in German). November 14, 2012. Retrieved December 24, 2014.
  17. ^ "Usher hat sein Konzert in Wien abgesagt". vienna.at. November 27, 2014.
  18. ^ "Wien-Konzert von Rihanna verlegt: Stadthalle statt Stadion". vienna.at. February 19, 2016.
  19. ^ "twenty one pilots announce world tour dates – News – Alternative Press". Alternative Press. May 9, 2016.
  20. ^ ""Sex & Love": Enrique Iglesias kommt live nach Wien". vienna.at. September 20, 2016.
  21. ^ "Press Release: Queen + Adam Lambert Announce UK and European Tour!". QueenOnline.com. April 18, 2017. Retrieved May 7, 2017.
  22. ^ "Gruselpapst Alice Cooper kommt nach Wien!". krone.at.
  23. ^ "Heute.at | Szene Events".
  24. ^ "Jovanotti nuovo tour 2018: tutte le informazioni che cerchi". Blasting News. September 27, 2017.
  25. ^ "Justin Timberlake kommt nach Wien".
  26. ^ Jones, Abby (May 8, 2018). "Shawn Mendes Announces Self-Titled International Arena Tour". Billboard. Retrieved June 12, 2018.
  27. ^ "Stadthalle hebt mit Stars in die neue Saison ab – Wien".
  28. ^ "Stadthalle bringt Cher und neue Location". September 4, 2019.
  29. ^ "Tarkan, Sa, 16.11.2019 @ Wiener Stadthalle, Halle D".
  30. ^ "Dino Merlin _ Sa, 10.12.2022 @ Wiener Stadthalle, Halle D".
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