Zimný štadión Dolný Kubín

Inside, the ice is natural, a surface that requires the cold to hold its form and the heat of the game to soften it. The capacity is small, just 500. It is not a place where you stand back and admire the architecture; you are close to the boards, and the wind coming down from the mountains can ruin any passing game on the open rink of old.

The venue has seen other crowds too. It hosted the Women’s World Para Ice Hockey Championships, a tournament that brought teams from across the world to this quiet corner of Slovakia. The stadium fell silent for the medal matches, but the noise of the rock concerts that have filled the space on summer evenings is a different matter entirely. The ice melts away, and the lights go down, but the building remains, a sturdy vessel for the winter.

The address on Športovcov street is unremarkable, a road that leads to the housing estate, but the entrance to the arena is marked by a simple sign. There are no grand facades here, just the timber and the snow.