Druzhba Arena, Ice rink and arena in Donetsk, Ukraine.
Druzhba Arena is an abandoned ice rink and arena in Donetsk, Ukraine, originally built to host both ice sports and large entertainment events. The building has a distinctive roof structure and was one of the main multi-purpose venues in the city during its years of operation.
The arena opened in 1976 and served the region as a sports and entertainment venue for several decades. A fire in 2014, caused by the armed conflict in eastern Ukraine, damaged it so badly that it has remained out of use ever since.
The name Druzhba means Friendship in Ukrainian, reflecting the role the venue once played as a gathering place for sport and entertainment across the region. Today the building stands empty, and visitors can only observe its exterior from the street.
The building is not open to visitors today, as it has been heavily damaged and left without maintenance since the 2014 fire. The exterior can be seen from the street, but entry is not possible.
Just a few months before the fire that ended its use, the French pole vaulter Renaud Lavillenie set a world record of 6.16 meters here in February 2014. That record stood for more than a decade.
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