Arena AufSchalke, Football stadium in Gelsenkirchen-Nord, Germany
Arena AufSchalke is a football stadium in the north of Gelsenkirchen, built with a retractable roof and a grass pitch that can be moved outside the building on a hydraulic track. The ground holds around 62,000 spectators across several seating tiers and is used for club matches as well as international competitions.
The stadium opened in 2001 and replaced the club's old Parkstadion, which had been Schalke's home for several decades. It was one of the first grounds in Germany to combine a retractable roof with a movable pitch, setting a new standard for stadium design in the country.
FC Schalke 04 has played its home matches here since the ground opened, and for many supporters in the Ruhr region it is a place tied to family and memory. On match days, fans wearing blue and white arrive early, and the stands fill with singing long before kickoff.
The stadium sits in the north of Gelsenkirchen and is well connected by tram, with stops very close to the main entrances. On match days, arriving early makes the experience easier, as the roads and footpaths around the ground get very busy in the final hour before kickoff.
The natural grass pitch can roll entirely outside the building on its hydraulic platform, something that few stadiums in the world are built to do. This allows the turf to receive real sunlight and rain, keeping it healthy across the season without constant replanting.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 60,000 contributors worldwide.
