Zetra Olympic Hall was constructed specifically for the 1984 Winter Olympics, hosted in Sarajevo, and was completed in 1982. Its first major event was the 1983
World Junior Speed Skating Championships. It was described as an "ultramodern, angular edifice"[3] with a
copper roof. The indoor venue hosted
ice hockey and
figure skating events, as well as the last closing ceremony held in an indoor place until
Vancouver 2010.[4][5][6]
From
1984 to 1991, Zetra remained in service as a venue for ice sports. It served as the venue for several international speed skating events, and several speed skating world records were broken here.
Destruction
The arena suffered substantial damage from shelling, bombing and fire by the Serb forces on Monday, May 25, 1992 during the
Bosnian War.[7] The interior of the structure, such as the basements and main hall, were put into service as a
morgue,[8][9] storage space for medication and supplies, and a staging area for UN equipment.[10][11] The wooden seats from the venue were used as material for
coffins for civilians killed in the war.[12][13]
Reconstruction
After the war, it was discovered that though the building was badly damaged, the foundation was secure. Although the original blueprints were never recovered, in September 1997, reconstruction on the venue, facilitated by the
SFOR, began. The
International Olympic Committee donated $US 11.5 million to the project,[10] which cost an estimated
DM 32 million (
€ 16.4 million).[8] The reconstruction was completed in 1999.
Current use
Zetra hosted the Balkans
Stability Pact Summit in July 1999.[14] It is currently in service as a sporting arena.[4] It is also used for music concerts, fairs and conferences. Sometimes, parts of the building are rented for other purposes (e.g. for the elections 2014, it was used as the Main Counting Center and election material storage space). The hall also contains a small museum about the 1984 Winter Olympics as well as a gym, billiard hall, bowling alley, pistol range, two cafes and other sports related content such as headquarters for various clubs and associations.[15]
El Rumbero Family of
Gipsy Kings - February 26, 2000
DJ BoBo - April 1, 2000 (opening act: Erato, concert organized as part of the Open Hearts Sarajevo project promoting cultural exchange and tolerance in Bosnia-Herzegovina[16])
Zetra Olympic Hall was constructed specifically for the 1984 Winter Olympics, hosted in Sarajevo, and was completed in 1982. Its first major event was the 1983
World Junior Speed Skating Championships. It was described as an "ultramodern, angular edifice"[3] with a
copper roof. The indoor venue hosted
ice hockey and
figure skating events, as well as the last closing ceremony held in an indoor place until
Vancouver 2010.[4][5][6]
From
1984 to 1991, Zetra remained in service as a venue for ice sports. It served as the venue for several international speed skating events, and several speed skating world records were broken here.
Destruction
The arena suffered substantial damage from shelling, bombing and fire by the Serb forces on Monday, May 25, 1992 during the
Bosnian War.[7] The interior of the structure, such as the basements and main hall, were put into service as a
morgue,[8][9] storage space for medication and supplies, and a staging area for UN equipment.[10][11] The wooden seats from the venue were used as material for
coffins for civilians killed in the war.[12][13]
Reconstruction
After the war, it was discovered that though the building was badly damaged, the foundation was secure. Although the original blueprints were never recovered, in September 1997, reconstruction on the venue, facilitated by the
SFOR, began. The
International Olympic Committee donated $US 11.5 million to the project,[10] which cost an estimated
DM 32 million (
€ 16.4 million).[8] The reconstruction was completed in 1999.
Current use
Zetra hosted the Balkans
Stability Pact Summit in July 1999.[14] It is currently in service as a sporting arena.[4] It is also used for music concerts, fairs and conferences. Sometimes, parts of the building are rented for other purposes (e.g. for the elections 2014, it was used as the Main Counting Center and election material storage space). The hall also contains a small museum about the 1984 Winter Olympics as well as a gym, billiard hall, bowling alley, pistol range, two cafes and other sports related content such as headquarters for various clubs and associations.[15]
El Rumbero Family of
Gipsy Kings - February 26, 2000
DJ BoBo - April 1, 2000 (opening act: Erato, concert organized as part of the Open Hearts Sarajevo project promoting cultural exchange and tolerance in Bosnia-Herzegovina[16])