Yubileyny Sports Complex

The Yubileyny Sports Complex sits on Prospect Dobrolubova, though its history reaches back to a different era. It opened in 1967 as a gift from the Federation of Trade Unions to mark the 50th anniversary of Soviet power. The venue carries an unusual weight for a sporting arena. On October 6, 1991, Russian poet and composer Igor Talkov was shot and killed during a concert; a memorial plaque was installed at the entrance the following year.

The structure is defined by its roof, which won the USSR State Prize in 1971 for its innovative cable-stayed design. Inside, the playing surface is natural ice, making it one of the largest indoor rinks in Saint Petersburg. It currently serves as the home venue for HC Dynamo St. Petersburg and basketball club BC Zenit. A major renovation took place from 2015 to 2016 in preparation for the 2016 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship, aligning the facility with modern standards while preserving its Soviet-era bones.

The complex hosts events ranging from the 1997 M-1: World Championship to concerts featuring artists such as Alisa and Limp Bizkit. The highest specific attendance figure found is 12,000 for a DJ PARADE concert in 2000, though this likely includes standing room and differs from the seated arena capacity.

The original name, the Palace of Sports of Leningrad Trade Unions "Yubileyny", is still used by those who remember the building’s inception. The capacity figures vary by source and configuration, with English Wikipedia listing 7,000 for ice hockey and 7,044 for basketball. Russian sources often cite lower numbers, but the venue remains a central hub for the city’s ice sports scene. The arena’s identity is split between its current function as a sporting venue and its past as a concert hall where rock music found a massive audience in the early 1990s.