Discoarena

It stands on Piazza Karl Riedmann 1. For the locals, the place is simply Discoarena.

In February 2021, a heavy snow load brought down the original roof. The team, the Wipptal Broncos, did not stop playing. It was a quick fix, a patchwork solution that allowed the games to continue while the permanent roof was rebuilt. That balloon is still there, a white tent against the grey stone of the original arena, marking the winter when the sky fell in.

Inside, the capacity is 1,700, though only 1,500 seats are fitted. It is tight, close enough to hear the skates bite into the surface. The floor is 60 by 30 metres, a rectangle of white in the centre of the town. Sometimes the lights dim and the music plays for public skating, turning the rink into a disco, a shift in mood that feels more local than international. The Broncos have played here since 1948, long before the roof failed, and though the date on some websites lists 1993, the wooden beams remember the eighties better. It is an ordinary building, but one that holds its own history in the way it was repaired.