Eisstadion Graz-Liebenau

The Eisstadion Graz-Liebenau, currently known as Merkur-Eisarena, is an indoor ice rink located in the Liebenau district of Graz, Styria, Austria. The facility is managed by Stadion Graz-Liebenau GmbH and is located right next to the Merkur Arena football stadium, which is home to the SK Sturm Graz football club. The artificial ice rink has been designated as a listed building.

The hall can accommodate up to 4,126 spectators for ice hockey games. The primary grandstand is situated on the southern side of the hall. It is divided into a tribune consisting of five sectors and a gallery consisting of six sectors. Furthermore, the ground floor boasts several hundred seats, while an exclusive V.I.P. area is located on the north side. The hall is not only used for ice hockey games, but also for other sports like figure skating and curling. The hall is open to the public for ice skating during specific times.

The architectural firm Ilgerl-Peneff-Walch constructed the artificial ice rink between 1961 and 1966, following their plans. The shape of the roof was determined by the load-bearing construction using suspension ropes, which was first introduced in Austria at that time. Since 1980, the stadium has had a second covered ice rink located outside the main indoor facility.Work on the new “lift” of the arena, named after Merkur Versicherung, has been underway since the spring of 2015.Messe Congress Graz successfully collaborated with Ökoprofit to implement several environmentally friendly measures. For instance, the district heating system replaced the two old natural gas boilers, and a high-temperature heat pump was installed.

In the opening match that took place on December 23, 1963, ATSE Graz suffered a defeat against the Polish Olympic team with a score of 3-14.The ice rink served as the home venue for ATSE Graz starting in 1964. From 1964 to 1976, it was also the home of the ice hockey section of GAK. Later, it became the home of EC Graz and currently serves as the home arena for the Graz 99ers.The hall hosted the Ice Hockey B World Championship in 1973.

In addition to the Bundesliga club, Liebenau is home to several lower-class teams and the women’s team, DEC Devils Graz, who are actively involved in the area. The venue hosted the World Curling Championships in 1998 and 2004.

From 2001 to 2003, the stadium was chosen as the venue for the Max and T-Mobile Indoor Football Cups, which took place in January. However, in 2004, the tournament was relocated to the Graz Stadthalle, a more contemporary facility. In addition, the stadium served as a venue for various concerts until the Graz Stadthalle was built.

The ice rink hosted the Women’s Ice Hockey World Championship (Division I) in 2009.

The International Skating Union awarded the 2020 European Figure Skating Championships to the city of Graz in June 2017. The Graz-Liebenau ice stadium will serve as the venue for the event.