Spodek (meaning "saucer" in Polish) is a multipurpose arena complex in

Katowice Katowice ( , , ; szl, Katowicy; german: Kattowitz, yi, קאַטעוויץ, Kattevitz) is the capital city of the Silesian Voivodeship in southern Poland and the central city of the Upper Silesian metropolitan area. It is the 11th most popul ...

, Poland, 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 concerts 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 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 Maciej (Polish pronunciation: ) is a Polish given name, the etymological equivalent of Matthias. Its diminutive forms are Maciek, Maciuś. Namedays according to Polish calendar: 30 January, 24 February, 14 May Maciej may refer to: Arts and ente ...

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 cables holding up its circumference. 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 with a roof made up of alternating arches and cables, many unique industrial roofs in Poland, two basketball arenas in Venezuela with hanging roofs, the structure of the National Museum of Art in

Caracas Caracas (, ), officially Santiago de León de Caracas, abbreviated as 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 ...

, the Venezuelan Pavilion at the Seville's Expo in 1992, and several bridges and roofs in South Korea.

Hosted events

* Electronic Sports League tournaments, including the Intel Extreme Masters World Championships beginning in 2014: EMS One Katowice 2014, ESL One Katowice 2015,

IEM Season IX - Katowice Intel Extreme Masters Season IX was the ninth season of Intel Extreme Masters competitions organized by Electronic Sports League, and took place between July 2014 and March 2015. The season included five stops in different cities around the world ...

, IEM Season X - Katowice, IEM Katowice 2017,

IEM Katowice 2018 IEM can refer to: * ''I.E.M.'' (album) * Inborn error of metabolism * In-ear monitors, devices used by musicians, audio engineers and audiophiles to listen to music * Incredible Expanding Mindfuck (Music) * Information Engineering Methodology ...

, IEM Katowice 2019,

IEM Katowice 2022 IEM can refer to: * ''I.E.M.'' (album) * Inborn error of metabolism * In-ear monitors, devices used by musicians, audio engineers and audiophiles to listen to music * Incredible Expanding Mindfuck (Music) * Information Engineering Methodolog ...

* Blaze Bayley (of Iron Maiden and Wolfsbane) recorded his

Alive in Poland ''Alive in Poland'' is the fifth release and second live album by English heavy metal band Blaze Bayley, released in 2007. It features mostly the band's original material, though they also play some Iron Maiden and Wolfsbane covers, as lead sin ...

DVD at Spodek in 2007 *

Deep Purple Deep Purple are an English rock band formed in London in 1968. They are considered to be among the pioneers of heavy metal music, heavy metal and modern hard rock music, but their musical style has changed over the course of its existence. Ori ...

recorded their Live Encounters DVD at Spodek in 1996 *

Pearl Jam Pearl Jam is an American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1990. The band's lineup consists of founding members Jeff Ament (bass guitar), Stone Gossard (rhythm guitar), Mike McCready (lead guitar), and Eddie Vedder (lead vocals, guita ...

recorded their '' 6/16/00 - Katowice, Poland'' album at Spodek *

Smashing Pumpkins Smash may refer to: People * Smash (wrestler) (born 1959), professional wrestler * Moondog Rex, another professional wrestler who briefly wrestled as the original Smash, before being replaced by the above. * DJ Smash, DJ and music producer Art, ...

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 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, were a defining event of 2001. The United States led a Participants in ...

2007 File:2007 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Steve Jobs unveils Apple's first iPhone; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overruns a runway and crashes into a gas station, killing almost 200 people; Former Pakistani Prime Minister of Pakistan, Pr ...

*EuroBasket Women 2011 * Intel Extreme Masters World Championship 2014 *

2014 FIVB Volleyball Men's World Championship The 2014 FIVB Volleyball Men's World Championship was held in Poland from 30 August to 21 September 2014. The tournament featured 24 teams to determine the world champions in men's volleyball. In addition to the host nation Poland, 23 teams quali ...

* Intel Extreme Masters World Championship 2015 *

2016 European Men's Handball Championship The 2016 EHF European Men's Handball Championship was the twelfth edition and was held for the first time in Poland from 15–31 January 2016. Croatia and Norway were the other applicants in the bidding process. Poland was awarded the championsh ...

* Intel Extreme Masters World Championship 2016 *

2016 IIHF World Championship Division I The 2016 IIHF World Championship Division I was an international ice hockey tournament run by the International Ice Hockey Federation. Group A was contested in Katowice, Poland, on 23–29 April 2016 and Group B in Zagreb, Croatia, on 17–23 Apr ...

A * 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 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 ...

2023 World Men's Handball Championship The 2023 IHF World Men's Handball Championship is the 28th such event hosted by the International Handball Federation. It is currently being held in Poland and Sweden from 11 to 29 January 2023. Denmark are the two-times defending World Champions ...

Gallery

File:IEM WC Katowice 2015 inside.jpg, Spodek's interior during Intel Extreme Masters Katowice, 2015 File:Katowice 05.15 Spodek.JPG, Front view File:Spodek.4.jpg, Night illumination of the façade File:Spodek w Katowicach z lotu ptaka.jpg, Spodek and the

city centre at night File:Katowice-Spodek (5).jpg, Spodek seen from Korfanty Avenue

References

External links