Patinoire de Mériadeck, Ice rink in Mériadeck, France
The Patinoire de Mériadeck, also known as Patinoire Axel Vega, is a multi-purpose arena in Bordeaux's Mériadeck district. Designed by architect Claude-Henri Aubert, it culminates at 27 meters and is formed of truncated pyramidal volumes covered in copper tiles, with a steel armature weighing 500 tons. It holds a single Olympic-size ice pad and four locker rooms.
The rink replaced Le Skating, a smaller community rink on Place des Quinconces, as part of the Mériadeck urban renewal. Architect Claude-Henri Aubert's design, a stack of truncated pyramidal volumes under a copper-tiled roof, was unveiled in October 1979; construction began that November with about thirty mostly local firms. The building was delivered on 28 October 1981 and opened to the public on 18 December 1981, at a cost of FF 72–77 million.
The rink doubled as Bordeaux's main concert hall from 1981 to 2017; Depeche Mode played there in 1988, 1990 and 1993, Sade in February 1986, and Mylène Farmer on several tours. The last show was the musical Notre-Dame de Paris. Since then the Boxers de Bordeaux hockey club and Bordeaux Sports de Glace 33, which teaches ice dancing and ballet on ice, have been the resident users.
The rink sits in the Mériadeck district and is served by tramway line A at the Hôtel de Police stop. The single Olympic-size pad is used from September to May by hockey and skating clubs, school groups and the public, so check the current session times before coming with a family or group.
The rink was the only French ice rink to serve as a multi-purpose arena for an extended period. Its modular stage covered 400 m2, with an insulated carpet keeping the temperature at 9 °C about 20 cm above the ice; standing shows held 7,212 people.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 92,785 contributors worldwide.
