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No longer exists
This structure no longer exists today – this entry tells its story.

Eis- und Schwimmstadion Köln

Home of seven Kölner Haie championship titles (1972–1998) on Lentstraße in the Grüngürtel — replaced by the Lentpark in 2011.

Indoor Outdoor Swimming

Located in Cologne's inner Grüngürtel, this facility combined an ice rink with an outdoor swimming pool. It was built and operated by Linde AG to showcase their heating and refrigeration technology.

At a Glance

Type
Combined ice rink and outdoor swimming pool
Location
Inner Grüngürtel, Neustadt/Nord district (Innenstadt borough)
Opened
12 December 1936
Capacity
7,200 spectators
Known as
Eisstadion an der Lentstraße; home ice of the Kölner Haie 1972–1998
Builder
Linde AG (demonstration facility for heating and refrigeration technology)
Today
Demolished in 2008; replaced by the Lentpark
Did you know?

The facility was originally built and operated by Linde AG as a demonstration site for its heating and cooling technology – meaning a corporation ran a public stadium for decades as a living advertisement for its industrial equipment.

Age comparison

Age compared with other places in Cologne.

History

At its 1936 opening, the complex was still called the Eis- und Schwimmstadion an der Amsterdamer Straße — that street runs close to the narrower Lentstraße. The Kölner Eisklub was founded the same year, with its ice hockey, figure skating, and speed skating sections making the heaviest use of the venue. A roof wasn't added until 1964. The stadium hosted matches at the 1955 Ice Hockey World Championship and the German Figure Skating Championships in 1956 and 1978.

The Kölner Haie

In 1972, the Kölner Haie's Bundesliga side broke away from Kölner EK and made Lentstraße their home, going on to win seven German titles there. In October 1998, the team relocated its home games to the newly opened Kölnarena (now Lanxess Arena) in Deutz, though training remained at Lentstraße for a time. In the venue's final years, the ice was used mainly for public skating.

Demolition and Rebuilding

When its timber-truss roof became dangerously close to collapse, the ice hall was closed on 15 March 2007. The entire complex was demolished between June and September 2008. A new facility broke ground in May 2009, featuring an indoor ice rink and pool, an outdoor pool, and an elevated ice track on the first floor. The new venue opened as the Lentpark on 1 October 2011.

Did You Know?

Beyond sport, the site hosted other events: in 1992 over 15,000 people attended the Mayday rave here, and in 2004 an episode of the TV crime series Tatort was filmed inside the ice hall.

Timeline

  1. 1936
    Opened on 12 December; Cologne Ice Club founded
  2. 1955
    Host of ice hockey world championship matches
  3. 1964
    Stadium roof completed
  4. 1972
    Cologne Sharks split off; home games at Lentstraße
  5. 1998
    Cologne Sharks move to the newly opened Kölnarena in October
  6. 2007
    Ice hall closed on 15 March due to risk of collapse
  7. 2008
    Demolition of the complex from June to September
  8. 2011
    New facility opened as Lentpark on 1 October

Map

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Auto-generated, last verified: 2026-06-26