Spodek

Why visit?

The „flying saucer” at Rondo Gen. Jerzego Ziętka is the most recognisable building in Katowice and one of the boldest landmarks of Polish modernism. This sports and entertainment hall, shaped like an inverted truncated cone covered with aluminium scales, was designed by Maciej Gintowt and Maciej Krasiński and built between 1964 and 1971; it opened on 8 May 1971. For decades it remained the country’s largest event arena and it still ranks among the most important, hosting concerts by international stars, sports tournaments, fairs and conferences. Wacław Zalewski’s structural design caused a sensation even before construction began: a model of the hall appeared on the covers of European architectural magazines, and the organisers of the Rome Olympics borrowed it for an exhibition accompanying the 1960 Games. Today Spodek forms the Strefa Kultury together with the International Congress Centre, the NOSPR concert hall and the Silesian Museum — the cultural heart of a district built on the site of the former Katowice mine. An ice rink, swimming pool and gym operate inside on a daily basis, and an underground passage links the hall with the congress complex. Guided tours run only on set dates (registration by e-mail) and lead through the main hall with its hidden corners, the sports facilities and the VIP zone — the route takes about an hour. If no date fits your plans, a walk around the structure is most impressive at dusk, when the scales shimmer in the floodlighting. And if you catch a concert or a match, you will remember the atmosphere inside the „flying saucer” for years.

What you’ll see

• Hala w kształcie latającego spodka — ikona katowickiego modernizmu
• Arena koncertów i imprez sportowych od 1971 roku
• Zwiedzanie z przewodnikiem: hala główna, obiekty sportowe i strefa VIP
• Codziennie czynne lodowisko, basen i siłownia
• Sąsiedztwo Strefy Kultury: MCK, NOSPR i Muzeum Śląskie

Map