Merkur Spiel-Arena (Düsseldorf)

Merkur Spielarena (stylized as MERKUR SPIEL-ARENA), known previously as the “ESPRIT arena” (until 2 August 2018), the “LTU Arena” (until June 2009), and as the “Düsseldorf Arena” (during the 2011 Eurovision Song Contest), is a multi-functional football stadium in Düsseldorf, Germany. The stadium holds 54,600 and has a closable roof. Its special heating system allows the stadium to host comfortable events at the height of winter.

General information

Official website: https://merkur-spiel-arena.de/

Arena capacity: 54,600 spectators

Address: Arena-Straße 1, 40474 Düsseldorf, Germany

GPS coordinates for the navigator: 51°15′42″N 6°43′59″E

Year of construction: 2002-2004

Construction cost: €240 million

Field: 100 m × 70 m (330 ft × 230 ft)

Seating plan of Merkur Spiel-Arena

When choosing a place in the stadium, use the following Merkur Spiel-Arena scheme.

Where to buy tickets?

Tickets for Fortuna Düsseldorf matches can be bought online, by phone, at the Fan-Shop at the Paul-Janes-Stadion (Flinger Broich 87), or at one of the other sales points (e.g. at the tourist offices at the Hauptbahnhof and the Marktplatz 6 in the historic centre).

A ticket for the standing terrace costs €13.00. Seats range in price from €17.00 for one at the upper corners to €46.00 for a central seat at the main stand.

How to get there?

The Merkur Spiel-Arena is built to be barrier free: visitors with handicaps and/or limited mobility will enjoy an infrastructure tailored at all times to accommodate their needs. The following provides key details on notable aspects of your visit to an event at the Merkur Spiel-Arena.

Arriving via underground (U-bahn)

Rheinbahn line U78 delivers event visitors to the Merkur Spiel-Arena every five minutes during normal operations. The station is labelled as “Merkur Spiel-Arena/Messe-Nord.” Travel time between Düsseldorf central station and the arena’s station is approx. 15 minutes. For many events, a public transportation ticket is included in the price of the admission ticket (indicated by a VRR logo on the ticket).

Each train platform has lifts leading directly to the flat area in front of the Merkur Spiel-Arena. You are welcome to use the dedicated entry gate for mobility-restricted visitors at the south entrance, and from there onto the circumferential promenade. Automatic doors have been put in place to assist you.

Arriving by car

Driving directions

From the A44 motorway take exit AS 29 “Messe-Nord/Arena” directly to the Merkur Spiel-Arena. Upon arrival at the Merkur Spiel-Arena and exhibition grounds, drivers can follow the signs for car parks. The Merkur Spiel-Arena car park includes dedicated spots for wheelchair users.

Parking

Severely handicapped, wheelchair users and blind visitors with normal (non-VIP) tickets and a proper official document (blue wheelchair user or several handicapped ID with AG and BL symbols) will be escorted by the traffic stewards directly to special car park P2 next to the Merkur Spiel-Arena. Qualified vehicles can park there at no charge.

To receive a parking permit for the Merkur Spiel-Arena car park, please download the form on the official website. Please submit a filled-in copy of this form and a copy of your admission ticket for the wheelchair spots, as well as a copy of your wheelchair user ID by fax, post or as a scanned attachment to an email to info(at)merkur-spiel-arena.de.

This process must be submitted at least seven working days prior to the event, as otherwise there may not be enough time for a parking permit to be processed and sent to you. Please note that they can only accept accreditations for concerts and shows. Accreditations for Fortuna Düsseldorf games are excluded.

Merkur Spiel-Arena car park: Those in possession of a parking permit for P7 (Merkur Spiel-Arena car park) should follow the signage for P7. The traffic stewards will then direct you to an appropriate spot. Important Note: A different regulation applies to Fortuna matches.

Access to the Merkur Spiel-Arena

From the car park, you can enter via the north entrance to access the Merkur Spiel-Arena’s so-called accessibility route. From there you can access the upper promenade via the handicapped lift in central stairwell K8 or one of the two (switchback-style) ramp routes. These are located roughly halfway around the area, in front of the West grandstand or the Stadtsparkasse Düsseldorf grandstand. Automatic doors have been installed to make it easier to access the promenade.

Within the Merkur Spiel-Arena

The promenade features barrier-free toilets. These are located in the immediate vicinity of the platforms for mobility-restricted persons.

Platforms for wheelchair users are located in the lower level. These are spread around blocks 1-8 of the West grandstand and between blocks 24-29 of the Düsseldorf grandstand. Support persons for wheelchair users sit in the same block one row in front of the wheelchair user.

The Eurokey

Handicapped persons in possession of a Eurokey can access the Merkur Spiel-Arena’s barrier-free toilets.

The “Euro”-style cylindrical lock and matching Eurokey were established in 1986 as a pan-European locking solution for handicapped-accessible facilities. They are now found almost everywhere in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. Anyone in possession of a Eurokey can access and use those facilities. This includes barrier-free toilets in cities, public buildings, train stations, motorway rest stops, universities, leisure parks and shopping centres.

You can apply for a Eurokey by following this link. You are required to present your handicapped ID and 18 euros as a fee.

Those who have forgotten their key are instructed to contact the ushers for access.

Where to eat?

The ESPRIT arena is located in a quiet area with little entertainment around. Düsseldorf’s old town, however, is filled with bars and restaurants and only a 15-minute metro ride away.

If you wish to stay as close as possible to the ESPRIT Arena, you cannot get it any better than the Tulip Inn, which is located inside the arena. The restaurant even has a view onto the pitch. The hotel is mainly aimed at business travellers for the nearby conference centre and is accordingly priced. The FFFZ Hotel Tagungshaus is also located at walking distance of the arena and is somewhat cheaper.

There are some further hotels not far north of the stadium, which are nicely situated if you have to catch a flight from Düsseldorf Airport the day after the match. Hotel Destination 21 and Air Hotel Wartburg are some of the options.

History

The Düsseldorf Arena was constructed over a two year period between 2002 and 2004 in order to replace Fortuna’s previous home ground, Rheinstadion. Dating as far back as 1925, Rheinstadion was steeped in history having hosted matches of the 1974 World Cup and 1988 Euros, however it featured an problematic athletics track and was slowly becoming dilapidated.

Costing a reported €240 million, the arena features a fully retractable roof similar to that of Millennium Stadium and Amsterdam Arena and was originally capable of accommodating 51,500. After some sections of seating were converted to terraces in the Summer of 2010, the capacity increased to 54,600, and for concerts Esprit Arena can welcome up to 66,500 revellers.

Esprit Arena’s inaugural fixture was held on 10th September 2004 with a limited capacity against 1. FC Union Berlin in order to pass safety inspections. Regarded as a “soft opening”, the first proper match was held on 18th January 2005 against Bayern Munich. This ended in a disappointed 5-1 defeat.

As one of Germany’s most modern stadiums, and combined with the fact that the National Team doesn’t have an official home, Esprit Arena has hosted a handful of international matches since opening. The first of its kind was held on 9th February 2005 between Germany and Argentina, and a sell-out crowd enjoyed an entertaining match which ended 2-2.