Directly ahead, you’ll spot a wide, oval sheet of shimmering ice in a flat, open area with flagpoles and tall light towers reaching into the sky-just look for the long, silver track and the line of trees behind it.
Welcome to the legendary Jaap Edenbaan-the oldest outdoor artificial ice rink still in use anywhere on planet Earth! Picture this: it’s winter in 1961, and all across the Netherlands, skaters are glued to weather reports, desperately hoping for just the right amount of cold to freeze the lakes and canals so they can race. Suddenly, everything changes here in Amsterdam-Oost. The city gets its very own artificial ice track-one that doesn’t care if Jack Frost shows up on time or not!
Close your eyes for a moment and imagine the crackle of fresh ice under skates as nearly 300,000 visitors swarmed this place for its magical first season. The track itself was opened by Jaap Eden’s own grandson, and from that moment, Dutch skating would never be the same. Indoors or out, rain or shine, the nation could now train and race-and, not surprisingly, they took to winning medals like ducks take to... well, ice.
The first official competitions hit the track in February 1962, and as you stand here, you’re sharing ground that’s hosted five Dutch all-round championships, explosive sprint races, and marathon battles where athletes pushed themselves to the edge of exhaustion. This wasn’t just a new place to practice-it was the launchpad for the Netherlands’ love affair with speed skating. Honestly, if these ice crystals could talk, they’d probably be exhausted just from all those photo finishes!
But hold up, there’s more: the rink has survived the decades by reinventing itself. In 1989-and then just recently, in 2023-the whole place got a facelift. The city peeled up the old, rusty pipes beneath the ice and swapped in robust plastic and high-tech cooling, breaking it all into four zones. Now, the ice-meister can turn up the cold where the sun hits hardest and save energy where shadows fall. Ingenious, right? If only my phone battery had that kind of tech. And get this: during these renovations, the rink stayed open for business! It’s the only spot where you can race a lap while the floor is being rebuilt two lanes down.
Then there’s the Edenhal-the indoor ice palace that opened in 1973. Not only did it host countless ice hockey matches and figure skating competitions, but it was also the loudest concert venue east of the Amstel. Imagine the roar as Bob Marley, ABBA, The Police, and even AC/DC shredded guitars where ice now glistens. If you ever get a craving for a foot-tapping beat mid-skate, blame the ghosts of rock legends echoing through the rafters!
What’s next? In 2025, a new hall will rise from the place of the old one-shiny, state-of-the-art, and ready for another round of epic moments. Meanwhile, the outdoor track remains uncovered; studies proved there was no real gain in putting a roof over this classic oval. After all, a little bit of Dutch drizzle never slowed a speed skater, did it?
Oh, and here’s your fun fact for the day: during the 2022 Winter Olympics, when COVID locked everyone in, Dutch TV covered the games from right here instead of Beijing. Talk about a home-ice advantage! Picture a bustling studio surrounded by the frosty Amsterdam air.
So, whether you love skating, music, or just a good comeback story, Jaap Edenbaan is the place where history glides alongside you, where energy hums beneath your feet, and where every winter is Olympic season-all you need are sharp blades and dreams of gold.
Ready to delve deeper into the the artificial ice rink, edenhal or the concerts? Join me in the chat section for an enriching discussion.
