Gliwice Arena is a multi-purpose

indoor arena An arena is a large enclosed platform, often circular or oval-shaped, designed to showcase theatre, musical performances, or sporting events. It is composed of a large open space surrounded on most or all sides by tiered seating for spectators ...

Gliwice Gliwice (; german: Gleiwitz) is a city in Upper Silesia, in southern Poland. The city is located in the Silesian Highlands, on the Kłodnica river (a tributary of the Oder). It lies approximately 25 km west from Katowice, the regional cap ...

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...

. It provides 13,752 seats in the stands (with room for up to 17,178 spectators) in the main arena and is considered one of the largest entertainment and sports halls in the country. Initially, the venue was given the name "Podium Hall", which was later changed to "Hala Gliwice". Since opening in May 2018, this name is used interchangeably with the name "Arena Gliwice" which is used for international events.

Construction

The construction of the hall began in 2013 following the demolition of the former stadium. Initially, the city was counting on financial support from the

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been des ...

, but after the refusal, it was decided to finance the construction from the city's budget. The originally planned construction cost was to amount to PLN 321 million, and the construction was to be completed in mid-2015. According to the report on the implementation of the Gliwice city budget for 2017, the total outlays for the implementation of the investment in 2017-2018 amounted to PLN 420.4 million, 31% above the originally assumed amount. Gliwice Arena has a two-level car park, the upper level of which can be adapted to organize events and outdoor exhibitions. The car park has 800 spaces. The facility is adapted to the needs of people with disabilities. There are 72 places available for them (36 places for wheelchair users and 36 for accompanying persons) located in all sectors and locations that guarantee good visibility. The main arena adjoined by a training hall and fitness building. The highest climbing wall in Europe and stage suspension system were also installed in the building.

Events

The first event that took place in the arena was a women's run as part of the cross-country event "Bieg Kobiet Zawsze Pier(w)si". During the event, which took place on 6 May 2018, a group of women ran through the main part of the hall. This race was part of an event organized for the fight against breast cancer. The official open days were organized on 12 and 13 May 2018, and on 30 May 2018, the concert of

Armin van Buuren Armin Jozef Jacobus Daniël van Buuren ( , ; born 25 December 1976) is a Dutch DJ and record producer from Leiden, South Holland. Since 2001, he has hosted ''A State of Trance'' (ASOT), a weekly radio show, which is broadcast to nearly 40&nbs ...

took place. On 6 March 2019, the

European Broadcasting Union The European Broadcasting Union (EBU; french: Union européenne de radio-télévision, links=no, UER) is an alliance of Public broadcasting, public service media organisations whose countries are within the European Broadcasting Area or who ar ...

(EBU) and Polish broadcaster

Telewizja Polska Telewizja Polska S.A. (; "Polish Television"; TVP), also known in English as the public Polish Television is a Polish state media corporation. It is the largest Polish television network, although viewership has been declining in the 2010s. Sinc ...

(TVP) announced that the arena would host the

Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2019 The Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2019 was the seventeenth edition of the annual Junior Eurovision Song Contest, organised by Telewizja Polska (TVP) and the European Broadcasting Union (EBU). It was held on 24 November 2019, at the Gliwice Are ...

. It took place on 24 November 2019, and marked the first time that Poland had hosted the event. Poland won the contest on homesoil with

Viki Gabor Wiktoria "Viki" Gabor (born 10 July 2007) is a Polish singer. She began her career in 2019, as a runner-up on the second season of '' The Voice Kids Poland'', and then later won the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2019 with the song " Superhero". ...

and the song "

Superhero A superhero or superheroine is a stock character that typically possesses ''superpowers'', abilities beyond those of ordinary people, and fits the role of the hero, typically using his or her powers to help the world become a better place, ...

". It was the second time that Poland won the contest and were the first country to win back-to-back. This venue will host the

2022 FIVB Volleyball Men's World Championship The 2022 FIVB Volleyball Men's World Championship was the 20th staging of the FIVB Volleyball Men's World Championship, contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of the ' (FIVB), the sport's global governing body. The tournament ...

and

2022 FIVB Volleyball Women's World Championship The 2022 FIVB Volleyball Women's World Championship was the 19th staging of the FIVB Volleyball Women's World Championship, contested by the senior women's national teams of the members of the (FIVB). The Netherlands and Poland were dual hosts f ...

knockout phase.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Gliwice Arena Indoor arenas in Poland Buildings and structures in Gliwice Sport in Gliwice Handball venues in Poland Sports venues completed in 2018

Construction

Events

See also

References

External links