Arena Stožice

Arena Stožice in Ljubljana does not pretend to be something it is not. It is a hall for sport, opened in 2010 after fourteen months of work, and its purpose remains clear. The parquet floor covers a flat concrete base, set out for basketball, handball, volleyball or futsal. The surface is not a warm hearth, and it never played host to ice hockey.

The outside is a reminder of the city’s history. The two buildings stand together as a place of sport. Inside, the green seats rise in tiers. The crowd is closer to the action than in a cathedral, and the sound carries.

The arena hosted EuroBasket 2013 and the European Women’s Handball Championship in 2022. At those events, the seating fills completely, and the music events later in the year take advantage of the floor space for standing areas. KK Cedevita Olimpija and RK Krim call the hall home, while ACH Volley from Bled also brings its international matches here.

The opening match of the venue was a basketball game against Spain, and the visitors won after overtime. The arena has not been renamed, and it has not been rebuilt. It is a straightforward building in the Bežigrad district, and it does not need to explain itself.