Bern Arena
Encyclopedia
PostFinance Arena is an arena
Arena
An arena is an enclosed area, often circular or oval-shaped, designed to showcase theater, musical performances, or sporting events. It is composed of a large open space surrounded on most or all sides by tiered seating for spectators. The key feature of an arena is that the event space is the...

 in Bern, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....

. It is primarily used for ice hockey
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...

 and is the home arena of SC Bern
SC Bern
Schlittschuh Club Bern is an ice hockey team based in Bern, Switzerland. The club was the most attended team in Europe for the 2010-11 season, averaging 15,856 spectators....

. It was built in 1967 and holds currently 17,131 people. A characteristic trait of the PostFinance Arena is the world's biggest standing room grandstand in an arena with a capacity of 10,422 people.

The PostFinance Arena was the main arena for the 2009 IIHF World Championships
2009 Men's World Ice Hockey Championships
The 2009 Men's World Ice Hockey Championships was the 73rd such event hosted by the International Ice Hockey Federation. Teams representing 46 countries participated in four levels of competition. The competition also served as qualifications for the 2010 competition...

, and has already hosted the inaugural Victoria Cup.

Spectators

PostFinance Arena holds a Europe-wide record, having a 16,203 spectator average in the 2008/2009 season.

Renovation

Due to its age and with an eye towards the 2009 IIHF World Championships, the arena was renovated. The holder invested about CHF
Swiss franc
The franc is the currency and legal tender of Switzerland and Liechtenstein; it is also legal tender in the Italian exclave Campione d'Italia. Although not formally legal tender in the German exclave Büsingen , it is in wide daily use there...

100 million (~$100 million) into the extension and restoration of the building. The modification was finished by April 24, 2009, when the World Championships started. The interior of the arena is nearly obtained, especially the steep standing room stand, which is very popular with the fans. However the VIP-zone was entirely rebuilt and the capacity there was extended by about 500. The total capacity is now 17,131 spectators.
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