LANXESS arena

Every city has its young legends: the Lanxess Arena – built in 1998 – is such a legend in the heart of Cologne. When the crews start setting up the stage for the next major event in the early hours, this place regularly vibrates with life – until the last note fades away and the lights finally go out.  

If you want to be at mega-concerts, maybe finally see your idols from the past live, experience sports and other superlative events, or simply enjoy great entertainment or shows: the Lanxess Arena is a no-brainer. The "Henkelmännchen" – affectionately called by the people of Cologne due to the widely visible arch of 76 meters – is one of the largest and most modern halls in Europe with a wide range of diverse events.  

Sports, Concerts, Comedy, Carnival & Co  

Whether it’s the Kölner Haie, handball or basketball, the Laughing Kölnarena during carnival, annual general meetings of corporations like Lufthansa or Deutsche Telekom, Germany's Next Topmodel, Holiday on Ice, or the Video Days of Gamescom – the list of events is long, long, long.  

Also, when international music giants come to town like Beyoncé, Lady Gaga, Madonna, Shakira, Helene Fischer, Justin Bieber, and legends like The Cure, Phil Collins, or Depeche Mode – musicians of all music genres perform at the Lanxess Arena and present themselves to large audiences, as the hall can accommodate up to 20,000 seats.  

Event Highlights: Lasting Memories  

Although what's yet to come is more exciting for many people, looking back at past events shows the importance and significance of the Lanxess Arena for lasting memories. Not only for the people of Cologne, but for everyone who has traveled to attend a concert or event there.  

Major sporting events have already taken place at the Lanxess Arena: games from the World Championships in handball and ice hockey or boxing matches and wrestling. Or in the concert area: Night of the Proms, Disney's Mulan, or New Year's Eve concerts of the Bläck Föös or performances by the Höhner. Metallica broke the attendance record here twice with concerts. And Björn Heuser, who regularly organizes his well-attended and dearly loved sing-along concerts by Cologne locals and visitors at Gaffel am Dom, even set a new attendance record in 2018 with 20,220 attendees.  

In 2019, Barack Obama spoke here before 14,000 guests. The finale of Germany's Next Topmodel has taken place multiple times at the Lanxess Arena, as has the Laughing Kölnarena during carnival.  

On Architecture: Interesting Highlights  

Exciting for visitors are certainly the details of the arena: like the maximum size of the stage at 50 x 40 meters and a maximum height of 42 meters. Overall, a total area of 83,700 sqm is available across all levels.  
The lower tier can hold about 7,000 spectators, and about 20,000 fill the entire hall. The roof is crowned – as you will unmistakably notice upon your arrival – by the arch produced in Poland, an easily visible truss construction.  

Excursion: The History of the Kölnarena  

As the Kölnarena, the Lanxess Arena was opened in 1998. But even shortly before that, the Kölner Haie played their first home game here, and concerts took place. The planning of today's Lanxess Arena dates back to 1988.  

In November 2012, Lanxess Arena broke the 25-million-visitor mark. In the meantime, the Junson Capital Company Limited from Hong Kong and the Mirae Asset Global Investments Group from South Korea have taken over the Lanxess Arena and other buildings from the real estate fund Köln-Deutz Arena and mantel development.