Grosse Sporthalle Sportforum

A striking concrete structure with an imposing façade and a 15-metre-high ceiling, the ‘Große Halle’ lies at the western edge of the Sportforum, a vast 50-hectare complex located in Alt-Hohenschönhausen in the eastern Berlin district of Lichtenberg. Opened in 1958, the 1,700-capacity arena was the first of around 35 halls and outdoor facilities built on the site, and now has listed building status. Although a multi-use venue, its prime tenant is the VC Olympia 93 volleyball club, which has a men’s team in the Bundesliga and a women’s team in the 2. Bundesliga. The wider Sportforum developed from a football field built by the People's Police in 1952, and has grown to become the second largest sports facility in the capital after the Berlin Olympic Park in Charlottenburg. Today, it is used by 70 sports clubs and around 500 students from the Institute for Sports Science at Berlin's Humboldt University.