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Memorial plaque is reminiscent of 60 years of Anhalt-Arena: a piece of history!
On October 4th, 2025, a memorial plaque commemorating the 60th anniversary of the opening of the ZAB Hall was unveiled in the Anhalt Arena.
Memorial plaque is reminiscent of 60 years of Anhalt-Arena: a piece of history!
The Anhalt-Arena in Dessau-Roßlau recently celebrated a special moment when a plaque was unveiled that was reminiscent of the opening of the Zab Hall 60 years ago. This ceremony, which was led by Roland Bissot, the former chief designer of VEB cement plant building Dessau, and Klaus-Lothar Bebber, the chairman of the Technikmuseum "Hugo Junkers" support association, took place in the entrance area of the Arena. Christoph Wessel, head of the city's sports promotion, took the table towards the board. This not only recognizes a piece of history, but also the development of sport in the region, how MZ reported.
The Anhalt Arena, which was built in the early 1960s in response to the lack of suitable sports facilities in Dessau, is today the second largest multi-purpose hall in Saxony-Anhalt. This sports facility was realized by the mobilization of 100,000 GDR marks, initiated by Konrad Dombrowski, the head of BSG Zab Dessau, to renovate an old arched hall on the company premises of the cement system. The hall was inaugurated on February 17, 1965 as a new home venue.
A place of sport and memory
Over the years, the Anhalt Arena has gone through many transformation processes. Originally built by Polysius AG as a production hall, it later became known as the ZAB hall and was given its current name in 2002. The hall is not only known for the Dessau-Roßlauer HV handball games, but also for a variety of other events, including concerts, boxing events and athletics tournaments. It can accommodate up to 3,700 spectators for certain events and has become a central location for sport and culture in the city Wikipedia.
The importance of the Anhalt Arena goes beyond just sporting events. It also reflects the change in the sporting landscape in Germany, especially after the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989. This era brought many challenges for sport, such as bpb explained. Before reunification, sport in East and West Germany was highly politicized and was used primarily to demonstrate national superiority. The aftereffects of this time can also be felt in today's sports policy and funding.
A look into the future
The Anhalt-Arena is not only a monument to the sporting past, but also a place that will shape the future of sport in the region. In the 2024/25 season, VC Bitterfeld-Wolfen will play two games in this hall, while the rest of the games will take place in the Bernsteinhalle Friedersdorf. The combination of tradition and modernity will ensure that the Anhalt-Arena remains an important part of sporty life in Saxony-Anhalt.
The unveiling of the plaque is another step to keep the memory of the roots of sport in the region and to offer an overview of the development that the Anhalt-Arena has experienced. A thought that was particularly important to Roland Bissot, who looked back at the time with a nostalgic look at the time.