Description
The Volksparkstadion is a famous German stadium of the highest UEFA category four, located in the Barenfeld district in the west of Hamburg. It is the home arena for the local soccer club Hamburg. The capacity of the stadium reaches 57,000 spectators for local matches and 51,500 spectators for international matches.
The Volksparkstadion was built on the site of the old city arena, designed by architect Gustav Elsner, and opened on April 30, 1998. It previously had different names such as AOL Arena, HSH Nordbank Arena and Imtech Arena. However, the name Hamburg Arena became the most common name and was often used during European Cup matches.
The Volksparkstadion stadium was previously categorized as a special club of "five-star stadiums" according to the UEFA classification until 2006. In 2010, the stadium hosted the first ever Europa League final.
In addition to soccer competitions, the stadium also hosts other high-level cultural and public events. For example, in 2011 the Volksparkstadion hosted the IBF, WBO and WBA world title fight between Ukrainian Wladimir Klitschko and British David Haye. This stadium has also hosted such famous artists as Michael Jackson, Depeche Mode, Tina Turner and AC/DC.