Czech architecture practice CHYBÍK + KRIŠTOF has completed a €80m municipal arena in Jihlava, embedding the 5,650-seat venue into the city’s historic streetscape.
The Jihlava Municipal Arena, commissioned via competition by the City of Jihlava, replaces an ice rink that had served the city of roughly 55,000 people since the 1950s. Rather than relocate the facility to the outskirts, the local authority opted to integrate it into the fabric of the medieval city centre.
The venue opened in November 2025 for a pilot year and has since welcomed more than 250,000 people. It is the new home of ice hockey team HC Dukla Jihlava for the 2025/26 Maxa Liga season, and has hosted international ice hockey, competitive ice-skating, Davis Cup tennis, European Volleyball League matches and concerts.
Ondřej Chybík, founding partner at CHYBÍK + KRIŠTOF, said: “The Jihlava Municipal Arena was conceived as a public building first and an event venue second. Positioned at the edge of Jihlava’s historic centre, it is not treated as a standalone object but as an extension of the city itself. Through openness, permeability, and careful attention to detail at every scale, the arena supports everyday use, shared urban life, and moments of collective celebration.”
The scheme connects the arena to neighbouring buildings – a university, residential street, brewery and local park – via large entrances and glazing designed to create a near-seamless flow between the interior and surrounding public spaces. An uninterrupted circulation space wraps around the seating area, and a new staircase addresses a six-metre level change across the site while providing wheelchair access to the disabled seating area.
Chybík said: “Locating an arena directly at the edge of Jihlava’s historic centre presented a unique urban opportunity – such facilities are rarely built in these contexts. From the outset, our goal was to create a structure that becomes a natural part of the city: one that respects its historical context while bringing a contemporary energy.”
The exterior is finished in red aluminium panels referencing the municipality’s heraldic colours and the club’s team colours, with a triangular motif along the roofline nodding to the city’s Gothic architecture. A lighting system embedded in the façade responds to events inside the arena, flashing when goals are scored during hockey matches.
David Beke, a Jihlava city councillor, said: “Thanks to the red façade evoking a hedgehog as a symbol of the city, Jihlavans have strongly connected with the arena. It has become a new symbol, not only of Jihlava but of the entire region; people are proud of it.”
The stands are made from prefabricated concrete pigmented to match the exterior, with exposed steel roof trusses and perforated façade panels for natural ventilation. Capacity for hockey matches is 5,650, expandable to more than 7,400 using retractable stands; for concerts, a curtain covers the upper tier to create a smaller, acoustically treated space.
A newly built six-storey corner building houses a fan shop, a “hall of fame”, a restaurant, a 29-room hotel and a gym and sports hall. A 230-metre rooftop running track, free to use via a booking system, sits atop the arena.
The project also included a redesign of the neighbouring Smetanovy Sady park by its original landscaper, Zdeněk Sendler, and a new sculpture by artist Krištof Kintera made from railings salvaged from the previous ice rink. Seating manufacturer Kovostal, led by David Karásek, developed a custom folding seat, Highlands, that doubles as acoustic treatment and has been recognised at the Red Dot Design Awards and the Elle Decoration International Design Awards. Czech glassworks BOMMA produced hand-cast triangular light fixtures for the interior, while graphic designer Lukáš Kijonka developed a bespoke wayfinding typeface based on the façade’s triangular motif.
David Beke, Jihlava’s city architect, said: “We wanted the arena to be a place not only for sport and culture, but also for relaxation, social encounters and active leisure – a venue alive 16 hours a day, 365 days a year. I believe we have managed to fulfil this vision.”
The project ran from 2019 to 2025, following a 2019 competition, with construction starting in July 2023. AED Project served as structural, civil and services engineer, and Gemo was main contractor.
Image credit: Jihlava Municipal Arena. Credit: Laurian Ghinitoiu
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