Lotto Thüringen Arena am Rennsteig

About

Lotto Thüringen Arena am Rennsteig is a biathlon stadium near Oberhof, located 814 meters above sea level directly on the main ridge of the Thuringian Forest. Until 2003, it was called the Biathlonstadion am Rennsteig, then the Rennsteig-Arena Oberhof until December 2007, and subsequently the DKB-Ski-Arena, named after its sponsor, Deutsche Kreditbank, until December 2018. Since January 2019, it has been named after Lotto Thüringen. The stadium regularly hosts World Cup biathlon events. The course near Oberhof is considered one of the most challenging in the entire World Cup, and spectator numbers have been among the highest of any World Cup event to date.

In 1953, the first patrol race, a predecessor of modern biathlon, took place in Oberhof during the fourth GDR Ski Championships. However, biathlon did not gain prominence in Oberhof until 1958. As biathlon was added to the Olympic Games program in 1960, the Armeesportklub (ASK) Vorwärts Oberhof, the predecessor of WSV Oberhof 05, began training in biathlon in 1958 and won two titles at the GDR Championships that year. For this purpose, a shooting range was built on the Kalten Mark, 600 meters southwest of today's Rennsteig Arena, directly above the barracks on the 869-meter-high Saukopf. For training, army pioneers and civilian construction companies built an asphalt roller ski track 600 meters northwest of the current arena. ASK Oberhof then provided the entire biathlon team for the GDR at the Winter Olympics.

The successes of the GDR biathlon team, including Frank Ullrich's first Olympic victory in 1980, prompted the Ministry of National Defence, at the urging of ASK Oberhof, to build a biathlon stadium in the early 1980s to improve conditions for biathletes, as the old shooting range was frequently affected by fog. A new shooting range was constructed on the site of the old one, which is still used for training today.

The Minister of Defence of the GDR, Army General Heinz Hoffmann, ordered the construction of a new shooting range. The location was chosen without proper planning or consultation with local authorities, and construction began in the Fallbäche area by construction pioneers of the National People's Army (NVA). The site was highly unfavorable due to challenging terrain, including impenetrable forest on a sloping hillside, large amounts of groundwater, swamp, mud, and exposed rock. Heavy rainfall in the summer of 1981 further complicated construction. Protests against the project were ignored, citing the ministerial order, and the district council lifted a building freeze. No consideration was given to the fact that the site was located near the Fallbach springs, vital for Oberhof's water supply.

Under the direction of Karl Koch, pioneers cleared a 170-by-145-meter area in May 1981 to make way for the biathlon stadium. A total of 40,000 cubic meters of soil was removed, often in special shifts due to frequent rain interruptions. The two-story control building, with a floor area of 10 by 20 meters, and a single-story scoreboard building, measuring 6 by 10 meters, were completed in shell form by November 1981, with interior work finished during the winter months. The buildings were completed on 30 September 1982. In spring 1982, construction began on the shooting range and roller ski track. The shooting range was built on 70 cast-in-place concrete foundations. A removable bridge allowed athletes, coaches, and officials to access the interior. Another bridge in the exit area enabled tracks to cross. A fixed screen system, a first in biathlon history, was installed behind the shooting range. The range featured 32 lanes equipped with folding targets developed in the GDR and paper targets alongside them.

Various running tracks, each three meters wide, were designed for the classic running style in parallel lanes. These tracks were too narrow for the skating style, which emerged later and requires wider tracks.

On 3 March 1983, the biathlon stadium hosted its first competition, the GDR Championships, where reigning world champion Frank Ullrich won the opening 20-kilometer men's event in ideal weather conditions. A week later, during a thaw, the facility faced its first international test with the biathlon competitions of the Army Spartakiad of the Friendship Armies. Despite temperatures of three degrees Celsius and persistent snowmelt, the event succeeded due to significant efforts, including snow transported by the NVA from the Frauenwald region and the area around the 983-meter-high Beerberg. Many generals from socialist armies attended, with the guest of honor being Sven Thofelt, president of the International Union for Modern Pentathlon and Biathlon ( UIPMB, predecessor of the IBU) and 1928 Olympic champion in modern pentathlon. Surrounded by prominent figures, he said to Rolf Hackel, the mayor of Oberhof:

The first Biathlon World Cup took place in Oberhof in 1984. Several more World Cups followed, and the facility underwent extensive modernization in 1992, primarily in the technical area. Initially under NVA control and later the Bundeswehr after reunification, the biathlon stadium was handed over to the Federal Training Centre (BLZ) on 1 January 1997, along with the shooting hall.

After Oberhof was awarded the Biathlon World Championships in 2004 at the International Biathlon Union (IBU) Congress in Salzburg in 1998, plans were made to build a new stadium. Construction began under STRABAG Thüringen, supervised by site manager Cordes, with a symbolic groundbreaking ceremony on 28 May 2001. The old biathlon building from 1982, which obstructed spectators' views, was demolished and replaced by a modern, three-story building with a gross volume of 3,500 cubic meters and a roof terrace. The Rennsteig Arena now spans 60,000 square meters.

A 105-meter-long main grandstand was constructed, extending in a 90-degree arc to the shooting range, offering standing room for 8,000 people. Spectators have an optimal view of the shooting range, penalty lap track, start, and finish line. On the other side of the building, a mobile grandstand accommodates 4,000 people. Athletes, referees, and journalists access functional areas from the control building via an underpass, avoiding competition tracks. The shooting range was rotated nearly 90 degrees. The renovation required moving 130,000 cubic meters of earth, installing 2,000 cubic meters of ready-mixed concrete, and processing 340 tonnes of steel. The biathlon tracks were widened from three to six meters with 10,000 square meters of bitumen surfacing.

On 13 September 2002, 16 months after the groundbreaking, the topping-out ceremony for the functional building was celebrated during the German Championships. Remaining construction work was completed in 2003. The first competition was the German Biathlon Cup from 20 to 22 December 2002, and the first international competition, a Nordic combined running event, took place on 31 December 2002. In 2003, the Oberhof town council renamed the facility from Biathlon Stadium on the Rennsteig to Rennsteig Arena Oberhof. A stadium festival, including the unveiling of a plaque with the new name, occurred on 20 September 2003. TCC Medienwerkstatt GmbH in Zella-Mehlis developed a unique logo for the stadium.

The renovation cost approximately €6.1 million. The Free State of Thuringia contributed €3.4 million, the federal government €1.45 million, the district of Schmalkalden-Meiningen €600,000, and Oberhof's municipal budget €230,000. The Federal Employment Agency provided €400,000. Other sources estimate the cost at €6.4 million. In December 2007, naming rights were sold to Deutsche Kreditbank (DKB), which also sponsors biathletes. The name changed to DKB-Ski-Arena Oberhof following unanimous approval at a special Oberhof City Council meeting. The new name was used starting with the Nordic Combined World Cup on 30 December 2007. In December 2017, DKB announced its withdrawal from sponsorship by the end of 2018. Since 1 January 2019, the stadium has been called the Lotto Thüringen Arena am Rennsteig.

Following the award of the 2023 Biathlon World Championships, extensive renovations were carried out. The start area and penalty loop were relocated, grandstands were expanded, two new functional buildings were erected, access for athletes and coaches was improved, and the route was modified, particularly at the Frankfurter Kreuz. [ citation needed ]

The successes of the GDR biathlon team, including Frank Ullrich's first Olympic victory in 1980, prompted the Ministry of National Defence, at the urging of ASK Oberhof, to build a biathlon stadium in the early 1980s to improve conditions for biathletes, as the old shooting range was frequently affected by fog. A new shooting range was constructed on the site of the old one, which is still used for training today.

The Minister of Defence of the GDR, Army General Heinz Hoffmann, ordered the construction of a new shooting range. The location was chosen without proper planning or consultation with local authorities, and construction began in the Fallbäche area by construction pioneers of the National People's Army (NVA). The site was highly unfavorable due to challenging terrain, including impenetrable forest on a sloping hillside, large amounts of groundwater, swamp, mud, and exposed rock. Heavy rainfall in the summer of 1981 further complicated construction. Protests against the project were ignored, citing the ministerial order, and the district council lifted a building freeze. No consideration was given to the fact that the site was located near the Fallbach springs, vital for Oberhof's water supply.

Under the direction of Karl Koch, pioneers cleared a 170-by-145-meter area in May 1981 to make way for the biathlon stadium. A total of 40,000 cubic meters of soil was removed, often in special shifts due to frequent rain interruptions. The two-story control building, with a floor area of 10 by 20 meters, and a single-story scoreboard building, measuring 6 by 10 meters, were completed in shell form by November 1981, with interior work finished during the winter months. The buildings were completed on 30 September 1982. In spring 1982, construction began on the shooting range and roller ski track. The shooting range was built on 70 cast-in-place concrete foundations. A removable bridge allowed athletes, coaches, and officials to access the interior. Another bridge in the exit area enabled tracks to cross. A fixed screen system, a first in biathlon history, was installed behind the shooting range. The range featured 32 lanes equipped with folding targets developed in the GDR and paper targets alongside them.

Various running tracks, each three meters wide, were designed for the classic running style in parallel lanes. These tracks were too narrow for the skating style, which emerged later and requires wider tracks.

On 3 March 1983, the biathlon stadium hosted its first competition, the GDR Championships, where reigning world champion Frank Ullrich won the opening 20-kilometer men's event in ideal weather conditions. A week later, during a thaw, the facility faced its first international test with the biathlon competitions of the Army Spartakiad of the Friendship Armies. Despite temperatures of three degrees Celsius and persistent snowmelt, the event succeeded due to significant efforts, including snow transported by the NVA from the Frauenwald region and the area around the 983-meter-high Beerberg. Many generals from socialist armies attended, with the guest of honor being Sven Thofelt, president of the International Union for Modern Pentathlon and Biathlon ( UIPMB, predecessor of the IBU) and 1928 Olympic champion in modern pentathlon. Surrounded by prominent figures, he said to Rolf Hackel, the mayor of Oberhof:

The first Biathlon World Cup took place in Oberhof in 1984. Several more World Cups followed, and the facility underwent extensive modernization in 1992, primarily in the technical area. Initially under NVA control and later the Bundeswehr after reunification, the biathlon stadium was handed over to the Federal Training Centre (BLZ) on 1 January 1997, along with the shooting hall.

After Oberhof was awarded the Biathlon World Championships in 2004 at the International Biathlon Union (IBU) Congress in Salzburg in 1998, plans were made to build a new stadium. Construction began under STRABAG Thüringen, supervised by site manager Cordes, with a symbolic groundbreaking ceremony on 28 May 2001. The old biathlon building from 1982, which obstructed spectators' views, was demolished and replaced by a modern, three-story building with a gross volume of 3,500 cubic meters and a roof terrace. The Rennsteig Arena now spans 60,000 square meters.