Max-Schmeling-Halle

The Max-Schmeling-Halle in Berlin's Prenzlauer Berg district is the city's third-largest event venue, seating up to 11,900. It was built in 1996 specifically as a boxing arena for Berlin's failed bid for the 2000 Summer Olympics and was opened in the presence of the 91-year-old heavyweight champion Max Schmeling himself. Architecturally the building is sunk deliberately into the slope of Falkplatz so that only its curved barrel roof rises above the embankment - a direct response to strict height limits beside the adjacent Mauerpark area. Beyond boxing galas, the hall hosts home games of handball club Fuechse Berlin and frequent rock and hip-hop concerts. Anyone arriving for a match or concert quickly notices the doubled use of the surrounding land: Mauerpark with karaoke and flea-market on top, an almost invisible arena tucked into the slope just below.