The nomination of Oberhof for the 2023 World Championship marked the starting point for a sustainable redevelopment and redesign of the luge track, originally built in 1971. The project aimed to expand the usable space of numerous buildings while simultaneously reducing the number of structures from 33 to 14 and promoting multiple uses and synergies amongst them. Other key goals included the consistent separation of vehicle and pedestrian traffic, as well as the development of infrastructure that exceeds current state-of-the-art standards. The project was led by HOFFMANN SEIFERT PARTNER together with Trabert Engineers.
The 10-hectare ice track site is part of the Thuringian Forest nature reserve and lies within the protected area of a drinking water reservoir. In March 2019, planning began for the redevelopment and redesign of the luge track, which had last been renovated in 2004, and was completed in October 2022. In addition to the sport-specific homologation of the track, the 1,354-m-long track was extended with a children‘s start section and now features five competition-compliant starting heights. This significantly improves training conditions for children and young athletes.
©Thomas Siegrist
