Created by T. Gentsch | News 03/31/2022

Skateparks under the magnifying glass | Gleis D - Hannover

A new indoor paradise in the middle of Germany

When you think of famous indoor skateparks in Germany, Berlin, Hamburg and possibly Stuttgart might come to mind. Located in the north, east, and south of Germany, these parks may make you forget that there’s also a city in the middle of the country with a long history of indoor skateparks: Hannover. Since the mid-nineties, there’s always been a decent indoor park in the capital city of Lower Saxony. Gleis D skatepark calls Hannover home as one of the most street-oriented indoor parks in our country. Almost completely made of concrete and taking into account the challenging floor plan of the building, a concrete offshoot has formed next to the previously existing wood obstacle park, which is definitely worth a closer look!

ChristophRadtke_Nollie180FakieNosegrind_Hannover_Gentsch.jpg — Christoph Radtke | Bs Nollie Fakie Nosegrind Revert

Let's take a look into the past. The first indoor park we know of was located just outside the city in Wunstorf-Kohlenfeld and was even the host park for several COS Cups at the time. At the turn of the millennium, the most impressive indoor park in Germany was built as part of the preparations for EXPO2000. It had a curb cut with a marble slab as a ledge, not to mention a 20-meter-wide spine mini-ramp. Hall25 was a household name at the time and by the time EXPO2000 really got underway, it was already history. Afterwards, the YARD skate hall established itself, first in Leinhausen and then in Empelde. So the skaters from Hannover always had a roof over their heads, which is certainly not the standard in every big German city.

So, moving on to Gleis D. The name is no coincidence. The park is located in the direct vicinity of Hannover's main train station in old warehouse buildings of the German railroad, including the typical loading ramps in front of the door, known from various street spots. As the successor to the old YARD skate hall, Gleis D has now been around since February 2019.

When you come into the park, you immediately notice a miniramp right near the front door! You can already imagine what fantastic evening sessions take place here in the summer. If you enter the park via the loading ramp, you’ll first notice the beautiful wood ramp course in the “main hall”. Here, traditional park skaters will get their money’s worth, but raw street skaters will also especially enjoy the adjacent "2nd hall".

The guys from Yamato Living Ramps have equipped the new park section with a concrete course in the beginning of 2022. The building itself has posed a few challenges for the park design, but also opened up some creative possibilities. Long lines on “real” street obstacles are abundant here and it might make you a little envious that you don’t have such a course in your own city. Amazing work to Max and the Yamato team! Check out the photos to see how proper the park really looks. Better yet, head over to Gleis D and experience the park for yourself - you won’t regret it!