Sporthalle

Until the Second World War, indoor sport in Cologne was held at the Rheinlandhalle in Cologne-Ehrenfeld. Restoring the war-damaged hall proved impossible for financial, structural and logistical reasons. In 1955, SPD faction leader Theo Burauen again pressed for a larger sports hall. Two years later, plans existed for a "Halle X" on the trade fair grounds, intended to open to sport and other events outside trade fair periods.

The hall featured a classic oval cycling track with banked curves; the stands were fitted with fixed wooden tip-up seats without cushioning. Seating could be adapted for each occasion using steel-tube grandstands and movable rows of chairs. A dedicated ice surface was created for the Holiday on Ice show. Initially limited to winter sport, the hall opened to all types of events from 31 March 1962.

Despite its name, the venue served concerts as much as sport from the very beginning. On 26 December 1958, shortly after opening, it hosted Cologne's first post-war six-day cycle race, and later welcomed world championships in cycle ball and artistic cycling, professional tennis and boxing. The Cologne boxer Jupp Elze's 1968 fight ended in tragedy when he died after falling into a coma. On stage, performers included the Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, Frank Zappa, Johnny Cash and David Bowie. A memorable local moment came on 17 May 1967, when the Beat Stones — forerunners of the Bläck Fööss — presented their first single here as support act at a Beach Boys concert.

To manage and market the hall, Kölner Betriebsgesellschaft GmbH — a subsidiary of Dortmunder Westfalenhallen AG — was established in December 1958, though it withdrew as early as 1959, after which the City of Cologne took over operations. After the final event in August 1998 — by which time the Kölnarena had become the city's main arena — the building was demolished in 1999 to make way for the expansion of Koelnmesse.