OZK Arena Ruse

OZK Arena Ruse (Bulgarian: ОЗК Арена Русе) is an indoor arena located in Ruse, Bulgaria. It is one of the most modern venues in Southeastern Europe with a seating capacity of 5,100 spectators. Positioned in a convenient location beside the city stadium, the arena is within walking distance of the city center and only 1.5 km away from the Ruse Central railway station. An underground parking facility for 150 vehicles is available. There are plans for the construction of a shopping mall and a five-star hotel near the arena in the future.

OZK Arena Ruse
ОЗК Арена Русе
Pictured in 2016, then known as Bulstrad Arena
OZK Arena Ruse
Location within Bulgaria
Former namesBulstrad Arena (2015–2017)
Arena Ruse (2018)
Monbat Arena (2018-2019)
LocationLipnik Blvd. 3
7000 Ruse
Bulgaria
Coordinates43°50′49″N 25°57′43″E
Owner51% National government
49% Ruse Municipality[1]
TypeArena
Capacity5,100 (Sports)
6,300 (Concerts)
SurfaceVersatile
Construction
Broke ground1976
Built1976–2015
Opened23 July 2015
Construction costBGN 55 million (approx. €28 million)
ArchitectTanko Serafimov
Main contractorsProject Ruse JSC
Website
arenamonbat.com

The arena has been known by multiple names. It was first called Bulstrad Arena after insurance company Bulstrad bought the naming rights for the venue for three years. When the contract expired it was known simply as Arena Ruse.[2] Automotive battery manufacturer Monbat AD purchased the naming rights in July 2018.[3] The venue was renamed once again after a new three-year sponsorship agreement was signed with the OZK Insurance company.[4]

History

Projects for the sports hall were first established in 1972 and construction commenced four years later. Work was suspended on numerous occasions throughout the 80s and the end of the socialist period completely terminated all efforts to finish the indoor arena.

Works were unfrozen in 2007 when Ruse Municipality signed a contract for the completion of the sports hall with a private investor. The Bobokovi brothers, well known for their industrial businesses in the country were the private investor. They planned to build a grand shopping mall, as well as a five-star hotel in the area near the sports complex. Construction proceeded rapidly and virtually all ground works and the concrete base of the building were completed. A second, shorter period of inactivity began in 2010 and lasted three years.

Ruse Municipality agreed to purchase the multiple-floor underground parking of the sports hall in 2013 and financed construction with BGN 11 million provided by the national budget.[5] Finishing works to the arena continued for nearly two years. After numerous postponements, the mayor of the city announced an opening date of July 23, 2015 with a concert by renowned Bulgarian singer Lili Ivanova.

Arena Ruse officially opened on July 23, 2015 in the presence of Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borissov and numerous government ministers. The majority stake of the private investor in the sports arena was acquired for BGN 20 million by the Bulgarian government at the end of 2018.[6]

Sports

Arena Ruse hosted three games from Group F of the EuroBasket Women 2017 qualification. The most well-attended of these was played between the national teams of Bulgaria and Greece on November 25, 2015, with around 2,000 people present. The venue was also a host of the World Volleyball Grand Prix, where the national team of Bulgaria played against Kazakhstan, South Korea and Germany. The 2018 FIVB Volleyball World Championship took place in the arena between 12-18 September 2018.

Other events

Significant events have included Michael Flatley's Lord of the Dance, as well as British hard rock bands Nazareth and Uriah Heep.[7] World DanceSport Federation's International Open took place in Ruse, Bulgaria on November 21, 2015.[8] Later in the year Arena Ruse hosted a show by Sukhishvili Georgian National Ballet, and Goran Bregović nearly sold-out a concert with over 5,000 attendees. World-renowned pianist Richard Clayderman performed in front of more than 2,500 people at the venue at an event on July 7, 2016.[9] Russian pop singer of Bulgarian origin Philipp Kirkorov performed in Ruse on his Bulgaria tour in September 2017, as well as in June 2019. The English-American rock band Foreigner presented their best and most famous songs in a concert in front of over 3,500 people in the arena on May 8, 2018.[10]

References
  1. "Булстрад Арена стана събитие номер 1 за Русенци". Bulstrad arena. 2015. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 16 July 2015.
  2. "Арена Русе" стана "Булстрад Арена"". Bulstrad arena. 2015. Archived from the original on 22 July 2015. Retrieved 16 July 2015.
  3. "Arena Monbat Ruse is the new name of the multifunctional hall in the Danube city". Monbat Group. July 3, 2018. Retrieved 21 July 2019.
  4. "Залата в Русе вече се казва "ОЗК Арена Русе"". ozk.bg. Retrieved 1 December 2019.
  5. "България с три нови зали". presa.bg. 2015. Archived from the original on 2015-03-09. Retrieved 16 July 2015.
  6. "„Арена Монбат" става държавно-общинска". TVN. Retrieved 1 December 2019.
  7. "Рок динозаврите "Назарет" идват за Green Rock Fest в Русе". ruse.actualno.com. 2015. Retrieved 16 July 2015.
  8. "World Dance Federation Event in Ruse, Bulgaria". 2015. Retrieved 20 November 2015.
  9. "Ричард Клайдерман покори Русе". 24 Chasa. 2016. Archived from the original on 16 August 2016. Retrieved 8 July 2016.
  10. "Разтърсващ лайв и само хитове на Foreigner в Русе". 2018. Retrieved 11 May 2018.
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