Eiszirkus Leipzig

It is not a theatre, but it wears its history differently. The building rises from the Alte Messe Leipzig, constructed as a wholesale market for fruit and vegetables between 1927 and 1930. Long after the stalls cleared out, the structure remained, a skeleton of industry waiting for a new purpose. The city of Leipzig purchased the property in June 2021, setting in motion a conversion that would transform a grain exchange into a frozen arena.

The project, known as the Eiszirkus, officially reopened on September 30, 2023. The architecture is defined by two glass domes: the Nordkuppel (North Dome), which houses the ice rink for the KSW IceFighters and public skating, and the Südkuppel (South Dome), currently being renovated for cultural and leisure sports. The North Dome has a diameter of 65.8 meters, a span of 75 meters. The primary tenants are the KSW IceFighters Leipzig, who play in the DEB Oberliga Nord, and the Leipziger Eissport-Club e.V. (LEC), which has 420 members. The LEC is the largest user of the arena, running departments for ice hockey, figure skating, and inline hockey.

Visitors will find the venue at An den Tierkliniken 38, 04103 Leipzig. The Eiszirkus Leipzig GmbH was established on January 23, 2023, with Jan Benzien and Thomas Potrzebski as managing directors. The exact seating capacity for hockey games could not be determined from available sources, though a VIP room accommodates up to 150 persons. The venue also hosts public ice skating on approximately 2,000 m² of ice surface, ice disco events, ice stock sport, and corporate events. Notable events include the official opening celebration on September 30, 2023, featuring a live band performance on ice, and a figure skating show 'Movies on Ice' on March 23, 2024. The venue is sometimes referred to as 'anona Icedome' in hockey contexts.