Остзеехале

Kiel's largest indoor arena sits by the Kleiner Kiel in the middle of the city, and its reputation rests as much on handball as on music: it is the home ground of THW Kiel, and on match nights it is one of the loudest rooms in Germany. Between fixtures it converts to a concert and event hall of several thousand seats. Like most arenas of its kind it has taken a succession of sponsors' names, and currently trades as the Merkur Ostseehalle. Kiel’s Ostseehalle opened in 1951 after the conversion of an aircraft hangar into a multipurpose arena. Operated by CITTI and Kieler Nachrichten since 1997, it has developed as a venue for concerts, sports, exhibitions, conferences and television productions.