AFAS Dome
AFAS Dome rises in Belgium as a vast concrete-and-steel arena, crowned by a sweeping roof without supporting pillars. Its 11,600-square-metre ceiling creates an open interior built for crowds, sport and spectacle.
Conceived in the 1920s as Europe’s largest indoor cycling track, the arena opened in 1933 with a 250-metre wooden circuit. Merckx and Van Steenbergen raced here during the famous six-day competitions, while boxing, basketball and ice shows later filled the space. World War Two damaged the structure, and a bomb struck the roof without exploding. After the war, concerts, circus performances and international shows gradually replaced cycling, while financial trouble in the 1990s brought the venue close to bankruptcy.
Renovation added balconies, more seating and a distinctive blue energy roof, but removed the cycling track. Today, rock concerts, music events and figure-skating shows continue the building’s long tradition of gathering large audiences beneath one remarkable roof.
- City
- Antwerp
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