The Max-Schmeling-Halle has become known as Germany’s ‘Volleyball temple’ but the arena that on March 28-29 will host the Final Four tournament of this year’s CEV Volleyball Champions League is much more than that, boasting an almost 20-year long history since its official opening back in 1996. The fans, especially the younger ones and those from abroad, may well wonder who Max Schmeling was and why this state-of-the-art arena is named after him. 

The answer to this question takes us back to the biography of one of the most legendary boxers of all time as the late Max Schmeling, who passed away in 2005 at the age of 99, was a real national icon for Germany back in the 1930s. Schmeling was indeed the world’s heavyweight champion from 1930 to 1932 and his two fights with USA’s Joe Louis in 1936 and 1938 still rank among the sport’s most talked about bouts in history.

Schmeling – who back then performed under the nickname ‘The Black Uhlan of the Rhine’ – won the first match with Louis by a knockout in round twelve, but in the second match, his American arch-rival – aka the Brown Bomber – won through a knockout in the first round. Even though the two champions created a pugilistic spectacle on its own terms, the two fights ended up epitomising the broader political and social conflict of the times. As a contest between representatives of the United States and Nazi Germany during the 1930s, the fights came to symbolise the struggle between democracy and fascism.

Upon returning to Germany after his defeat by Joe Louis, Schmeling was shunned by the Nazis. During the Nazi purge of Jews from Berlin, he personally saved the lives of two Jewish children by hiding them in his apartment. It was not the first time that Schmeling defied the Nazi regime’s hatred for Jews.

During World War II, Schmeling was forcibly drafted, served with the Luftwaffe and was trained as an elite paratrooper. He participated in the 1941 Battle of Crete, where he was wounded in his right knee during the first day. After recovering, he was dismissed from active service after being deemed medically unfit for duty because of his injury. He later visited American P.O.W. camps and occasionally tried to help conditions for the prisoners.

 

After the war, Schmeling settled in Hamburg where he embarked upon a moderately successful comeback in boxing, winning three of his five bouts before retiring in October 1948. During the 1950s, he began working for The Coca-Cola Company’s offices in Germany. Before long, he owned his own bottling plant and held an executive’s position within the company. He became friends with Joe Louis and assisted his former rival financially in his later years, eventually financing his military funeral in 1981. In 1992, he was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame. He lived his remaining years as a wealthy man and avid boxing fan, passing away on February 2, 2005 at the age of 99.

 

On December 14, 1996, Max Schmeling himself attended the opening ceremony of the arena that bears his name and that has since hosted a number of major sporting events, including the 2007 World Men’s Handball Championship, the 2011 European Artistic Gymnastics Championships for both men and women, and the finals of the 2013 CEV Volleyball European Championship – Women. The arena also plays host to the home matches of three elite teams from Germany’s capital, i.e. ALBA (basketball), Füchse (handball) and the BERLIN Recycling Volleys.

 

The Max-Schmeling-Halle is a first-class sporting and an architectural jewel that can host up to 8,500 fans. The largest solar power plant on a public building in Berlin is located on its roof. 1,064 installed photovoltaic modules can produce up to 250 kW of electricity. Green spaces have been created all around the arena which in 2002 claimed the gold medal in the award established by the IOC, the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) and IAKS for sporting venues, as the jury praised its low environmental impact.

 

It’s a green hall, so to speak, and so the perfect place for the world’s Volleyball stars to shine as Europe’s Volleyball family has launched earlier this season its ‘Green Way – Volleyball Way’ campaign which is being embodied by the green shirts worn by all libero players and the innovative green-and-yellow Mikasa MVA200CEV ball. Everyone can certainly expect a ‘hot’ ambiance there on March 28-29 with the home fans and those of another three elite teams set to enjoy a real Volleyball party which would certainly please also Germany’s boxing icon Max Schmeling.

 

Text: CEV

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