Spodek is a multipurpose

arena An arena is a large enclosed venue, often circular or oval-shaped, designed to showcase theatre, Music, musical performances or Sport, sporting events. It comprises a large open space surrounded on most or all sides by tiered seating for specta ...

complex in

Katowice Katowice (, ) is the capital city of the Silesian Voivodeship in southern Poland and the central city of the Katowice urban area. As of 2021, Katowice has an official population of 286,960, and a resident population estimate of around 315,000. K ...

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

, opened on 9 May 1971. Aside from the main dome, the complex includes a gym, an ice rink, a hotel and three large car parks. It was the largest indoor venue of its kind in Poland until it was surpassed by Tauron Arena in 2014. The Spodek hosts many important cultural and business events. Music

concert A concert, often known informally as a gig or show, is a live performance of music in front of an audience. The performance may be carried by a single musician, in which case it is sometimes called a recital, or by a musical ensemble such as an ...

s are especially common non-sport events. It can hold around 11,500 people, although this number is in practice limited to 10,000 or even 8,000 due to stage set-ups obscuring the view. Its Polish name refers to a flying saucer since its iconic shape resembles a UFO. Spodek is a major contribution to the cultural significance of Katowice in Poland, especially for the younger generations. It has also been used as an unofficial logo for the city on posters promoting redevelopment in Katowice. Moreover, Spodek is home to ice hockey clubs in the winter months.

History

The idea of building a large venue originated in 1955, while Katowice was temporarily renamed Stalinogród. A contest was held to select the best design. Initially, it was to be constructed on the outskirts of town, but the Voivodeship National Council decided it should be built near the city center. A

mining Mining is the Resource extraction, extraction of valuable geological materials and minerals from the surface of the Earth. Mining is required to obtain most materials that cannot be grown through agriculture, agricultural processes, or feasib ...

waste dump site classified "2A" was chosen for construction. The classification "2A" indicated medium mining damage with a possibility of local cave-ins. While excavating the foundations, the workers dug through coal instead of soil. Soon after construction began, rumors of design flaws in the new building spread, including the rumour that the dome would collapse when the scaffolding was removed. Because of this, in 1964, construction was halted for 18 months. Spodek's architects and chief engineers were present in the dome when the supports were dismantled as a statement against those rumors. Before opening the building to the public, as an endurance test, 3,500 soldiers marched throughout the hall; the vibration measurement was positive.

Technology

Architects Maciej Gintowt and Maciej Krasiński designed the Spodek to employ the principle of tensegrity, as one of the first major structures to do so. For the roof they used an inclined surface held in check by a system of

cable Cable may refer to: Mechanical * Nautical cable, an assembly of three or more ropes woven against the weave of the ropes, rendering it virtually waterproof * Wire rope, a type of rope that consists of several strands of metal wire laid into a hel ...

s holding up its

circumference In geometry, the circumference () is the perimeter of a circle or ellipse. The circumference is the arc length of the circle, as if it were opened up and straightened out to a line segment. More generally, the perimeter is the curve length arou ...

. The structural engineer who conceived the unique tensegrity roof and made it work was Wacław Zalewski. His innovative structures included Supersam, a supermarket in

Warsaw Warsaw, officially the Capital City of Warsaw, is the capital and List of cities and towns in Poland, largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the Vistula, River Vistula in east-central Poland. Its population is officially estimated at ...

with a roof made up of alternating arches and cables, many unique industrial roofs in Poland, two basketball arenas in

Venezuela Venezuela, officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many Federal Dependencies of Venezuela, islands and islets in the Caribbean Sea. It com ...

with hanging roofs, the structure of the National Museum of Art in

Caracas Caracas ( , ), officially Santiago de León de Caracas (CCS), is the capital and largest city of Venezuela, and the center of the Metropolitan Region of Caracas (or Greater Caracas). Caracas is located along the Guaire River in the northern p ...

, the Venezuelan Pavilion at the

Seville Seville ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Spain, Spanish autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia and the province of Seville. It is situated on the lower reaches of the Guadalquivir, River Guadalquivir, ...

's Expo in 1992, and several bridges and roofs in

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the southern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders North Korea along the Korean Demilitarized Zone, with the Yellow Sea to the west and t ...

Gallery

File:IEM WC Katowice 2015 inside.jpg, Spodek's interior during Intel Extreme Masters Katowice, 2015 File:Spodek.4.jpg, Night illumination of the

façade A façade or facade (; ) is generally the front part or exterior of a building. It is a loanword from the French language, French (), which means "frontage" or "face". In architecture, the façade of a building is often the most important asp ...

, 2016 File:At Katowice 2024 432.jpg, Entrance steps and terraces around Spodek File:Spodek w Katowicach z lotu ptaka.jpg, Spodek and the

city centre at night, 2020 File:Katowice-Spodek (5).jpg, Spodek seen from NOSPR bridge, 2020 Spodek (70607).jpg, Spodek displaying the colors of the Ukrainian flag in 2024

Hosted events

Electronic Sports League ESL Gaming GmbH (formerly known as Electronic Sports League) is a German-French esports organizer and production company that produces video game competitions worldwide. ESL was the world's largest esports company in 2015, and the oldest that ...

tournaments, including the Intel Extreme Masters World Championships, from 2014 to 2025: EMS One Katowice 2014, ESL One Katowice 2015, IEM Season IX - Katowice, IEM Season X - Katowice, IEM Katowice 2017, IEM Katowice 2018, IEM Katowice 2019, IEM Katowice 2022, etc. Katowice 2014, 2015 and 2019 were also Counter-Strike Major Championships * Blaze Bayley (of Iron Maiden and Wolfsbane) recorded his Alive in Poland DVD at Spodek in 2007 * Deep Purple recorded their Live Encounters DVD at Spodek in 1996 *

Pearl Jam Pearl Jam is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1990. One of the key bands in the grunge, grunge movement of the early 1990s, Pearl Jam has outsold and outlasted many of its contemporaries from the early 1990s, ...

recorded their ''6/15/00 – Katowice, Poland'' and '' 6/16/00 - Katowice, Poland'' albums at Spodek * Smashing Pumpkins cover photo (inside) for the album '' Adore'' was taken in Katowice after a concert in Spodek *The band Hey recorded their 1994 ''Hey Live!'' album at Spodek. *The arena held the final rounds of the EuroBasket 2009.Kibice wywalczyli nam polskie mecze
, 15 January 2007 *FIVB Volleyball World League Final Round

2001 The year's most prominent event was the September 11 attacks against the United States by al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror. The United States led a Participan ...

& 2007 *EuroBasket Women 2011 * Intel Extreme Masters World Championship 2014 * 2014 FIVB Volleyball Men's World Championship * Intel Extreme Masters World Championship 2015 * 2016 European Men's Handball Championship * Intel Extreme Masters World Championship 2016 * 2016 IIHF World Championship Division IA * Intel Extreme Masters World Championship 2017 *The WTA Tour BNP Paribas Katowice Open, a professional women's tennis tournament, was held at Spodek between 2013–2016 * Intel Extreme Masters World Championship 2018 * Intel Extreme Masters World Championship 2019 CS:GO Major * 2019 BWF World Senior Championships *Intel Extreme Masters World Championship 2020 * 2022 FIVB Volleyball Men's World Championship * 2023 World Men's Handball Championship * EuroBasket 2025 * 2026 European Women's Handball Championship * Intel Extreme Masters Katowice 2024 * 2031 World Women's Handball Championship

References

External links