Rotterdam Ahoy

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Rotterdam Ahoy
Main entrance of the Rotterdam Ahoy (2016)
Main entrance of the Rotterdam Ahoy (2016)
Earlier names

Ahoy Hall (1950–1966)
Sportpaleis van Ahoy (1967–1997)
Ahoy 'Rotterdam (1998–2007)

Data
place Ahoyweg 10 3084 BA Rotterdam , The Netherlands
NetherlandsNetherlands
Coordinates 51 ° 52 '58 "  N , 4 ° 29' 17"  E Coordinates: 51 ° 52 '58 "  N , 4 ° 29' 17"  E
owner Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG)
operator Ontwikkelingsbedrijf Rotterdam
start of building 1950 (Ahoy Hall)
1967 (Sportpaleis van Ahoy)
opening 1950 (Ahoy Hall)
January 15, 1971 (Sportpaleis van Ahoy)
Renovations 1968-1970, 1988, 1997, 2009-2010
Extensions 1980, 2006
surface Concrete
parquet
ice surface
architect Benthem Crouwel Architects
capacity 25,000 seats (total capacity)
16,000 seats (Ahoy Arena)
06,000 seats (Club Ahoy)
04,000 (Theater Hal 1)
playing area 60,000 m² (total)
Events

The Rotterdam Ahoy is an event hall in the Dutch city ​​of Rotterdam . The event center consists of six halls and is mainly used for sporting events , concerts and congresses . The Ahoy Arena offers space for 16,000 people, making it one of the largest multi-purpose halls in the Netherlands.

history

The foundation stone for today's Rotterdam Ahoy was laid in 1950. After the renovation of the port of Rotterdam was completed in 1950, the exhibition Rotterdam Ahoy! instead of. The space at this event operated under the name Ahoy Hall until 1966 . For example, the National Energy Manifestation exhibition took place here in 1955 . However, in 1966 it was decided that the hall would be demolished. Today the Erasmus MC Hospital Rotterdam is located on the site .

In 1967, construction work on the Sportpaleis van Ahoy began on the old site of a helipad at Hofdijk / Pompenburg. The Sportpaleis with a built-in cycling track and three exhibition halls were completed in 1970 and officially opened by Prince Claus on January 15, 1971. In 1980 two halls were added (at that time Leuvehal and Eemhal ).

In 1988 it was decided to renovate the complex to meet the increasing demand from users. Much emphasis was placed on bringing the mechanical and electrical systems up to date. The little-used cycle track was also torn out of the Sportpaleis in order to secure more capacity for concerts.

Another renovation was carried out in 1997 to meet the increasing demand from users. The event center was then expanded with a sixth event hall (the Schelde Hall ) and a reception hall (the Plaza ). Offices, catering establishments and smaller conference and meeting rooms were built next to this multifunctional space. The entrance to the Sportpaleis has also been adapted. In addition, the direct bridge connection of the complex with the metro station and the Zuidplein shopping center disappeared. The bridge was partially removed and the walkway ended at a staircase that led to the plaza in front of the plaza. On March 3, 2017, the last remaining section of the bridge was demolished after the bridge was hit by a truck that hit one of the bridge's beams earlier this week.

In 1998 the event complex was given its current name Ahoy 'Rotterdam. In 2007 the apostrophe was removed from the names, so that the name Rotterdam Ahoy has been used since then .

The Sportpaleis, Ahoy Arena since 2010 , was extensively modernized between summer 2009 and the end of 2010. The renovations began on October 9th, 2009. In this way, the visitor capacity was increased, but the volume of the building was retained. The technical production properties of the building were upgraded in order to continue to meet the requirements of international pop artists, among other things; The client Ontwikkelingsbedrijf Rotterdam has carried out the necessary renovation to renovate the Sportpaleis so that it meets the highest possible European standards.

Todays use

The event center is used regularly for exhibitions, congresses and seminars. The six halls with a total area of ​​45,000 m² are used for these events. One of the halls can be converted into a theater since 2006 (under the name Ahoy Theater ). If all halls are used at the same time, the Rotterdam Ahoy has a capacity of 25,000 people.

Many sporting events are organized in the complex every year. Both the halls and the Ahoy Arena are used for this. In addition to sports, concerts and other major events are also organized in this arena. In 2006, a cycle track was installed again for the first time, as the six-day Rotterdam 2006 race took place here. However, it was removed again after the end of the race.

On August 30, 2019, the Dutch TV channel NPO 1 announced that the Eurovision Song Contest 2020 should have taken place on May 12, 14 and 16 of that year in the arena. However, the EBU canceled the competition on March 18, 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic .

On May 16, 2020, as part of Eurovision: Europe Shine a Light Rotterdam was presented as the venue for the Eurovision Song Contest 2021 , which means that the event will only take place in May 2021 at Ahoy.

gallery

Web links

Commons : Ahoy Rotterdam  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. a b c Brochure with information (PDF file)
  2. a b c Rotterdam Ahoy: History Rotterdam Ahoy. In: ahoy.nl. February 2009, accessed July 1, 2019 (Dutch).
  3. ESC 2020 will take place in Rotterdam. In: eurovision.de. August 30, 2019, accessed August 30, 2019 .
  4. SPIEGEL: Due to coronavirus - Eurovision Song Contest canceled (accessed May 17, 2020).
  5. ^ NDR: All information about the ESC 2021 in the Netherlands. Retrieved May 17, 2020 .