Laugardalshöll
Laugardalshöll is an indoor sporting arena located in Reykjavík, Iceland. The capacity of the arena is 5,500 people.
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| Location | Reykjavík, Iceland |
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| Coordinates | 64.140305°N 21.877985°W |
| Operator | Sports and Exhibition Center (ÍSH) |
| Capacity | Sports: 5,500 Concerts: 11,000 Handball: 2,500 |
| Construction | |
| Opened | 6 December 1965 |
| Architect | Gísli Halldórsson Skarphéðinn Jóhannesson[1] |
| Tenants | |
| Icelandic men's national basketball team Icelandic women's national basketball team Icelandic men's national handball team Icelandic women's national handball team | |
It hosts various sporting events, such as handball, basketball, volleyball and athletics, as well as for other events. Aside from sporting events, it is the largest concert venue in Iceland, with a maximum capacity of 11,000. Aside from sports and music events, it serves as a general purpose hall for all manner of events.
Events
Perhaps the most prominent event to be held at Laugardalshöll was the World Chess Championship 1972, often dubbed the "Match of the Century", in which challenger Bobby Fischer of the United States defeated the defending champion Boris Spassky of the Soviet Union. The movie Bobby Fischer Against the World (2011) features scenes from Laugardalshöll.[2]
The arena which hosted the 1995 World Men's Handball Championship and many matches of the Iceland men's national handball team, one of the most successful sports of the country.
On November 6, 2010, the "National Assembly", the first step of a constitutional reform process, was held here. It gathered 1000 citizens, randomly picked in the national register. It produced a document listing the main principles of the island nation.
From 2007 to 2011, it also hosted CCP Games' EVE Online annual 'Fanfest'.
Every year since 2016, the arena has held the finals of Söngvakeppnin, the Icelandic preliminary round for the Eurovision Song Contest.
References
- "Reykjavík of Yore: Laugardalshöllin - The Reykjavik Grapevine". grapevine.is. 27 March 2017. Retrieved 18 March 2018.
- Conolly, Jez and Caroline Whelan. World Film Locations: Reykjavik. Intellect Books. Page 100. ISBN 9781841506418.
External links
- Official website (in Icelandic)
| Preceded by Globe Arena Stockholm |
World Men's Handball Championship Final Venue 1995 |
Succeeded by Park Dome Kumamoto |