Spodek Arena in Katowice

When a model of the planned Katowice arena appeared on the covers of European architecture magazines in 1960, the organising committee of the Rome Olympics asked to borrow it for an art exhibition. Eleven years later the "flying saucer" landed by what is now General Jerzy Ziętek Roundabout – and it remains the most recognisable building in Katowice. Spodek (Polish for "saucer") is a sports and entertainment arena in the shape of an inverted, truncated cone, opened on 8 May 1971.

How it was built

A competition for a regional sports and events hall was announced in 1959. It was won by a team from a Warsaw design office with architects Jerzy Hryniewiecki, Maciej Gintowt and Maciej Krasiński; the main idea and structural design came from engineer Wacław Zalewski. The arena was originally meant for a park in neighbouring Chorzów, but the regional leader Jerzy Ziętek moved it closer to central Katowice – onto land where zinc smelters had operated in the 19th century. Construction in 1964–1971 was far from smooth: in 1966 two buttresses cracked and work stopped, and the dispute over the calculations was only settled by a scientific panel in January 1967, which sided with the designers. The opening marked the 50th anniversary of the Third Silesian Uprising and drew more than 12,000 guests.

The structure

Spodek's roof was one of the first in the world built on the tensegrity principle: 120 cables stretch radially over the auditorium to a steel ring in the centre and are anchored in a rigid outer ring. The cone spans 126 m. The façade is covered with around 30,000 aluminium scales laid in a diamond pattern – originally they were made of fibre cement. Look at the details up close: the terraces use clinker brick and washed river pebbles, and the roof overhang is decorated with crushed white porcelain.

Big events

Artists who have played here include Metallica – who gave their first concert in Poland here on 10 February 1987 – Tina Turner, Elton John and Kraftwerk, and the Polish band Dżem recorded the live album "Wehikuł czasu – Spodek '92" here. In this arena Poland beat the USSR at the 1976 Ice Hockey World Championship, Polish women won the 1999 European Basketball Championship, and the men's volleyball team became world champions in 2014 after a final against Brazil.

Culture Zone and listed monument

Today Spodek is part of the Culture Zone together with the International Congress Centre (linked by an underground passage), the home of the Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra (NOSPR) and the Silesian Museum, all built on the site of the former "Katowice" coal mine. Across the avenue stands the Silesian Insurgents' Monument from the same period. On 13 May 2025 Spodek was entered in the register of historic monuments, after plans emerged to demolish its stairs and terraces.

Tripto tip

You can see the building from outside at any time, free of charge; it looks most striking at dusk, when the scales glow under the lights. The nearest tram stop is Katowice Rondo. Guided tours of the interior run only on set dates – check spodekkatowice.pl. Allow about an hour to walk around Spodek and through the Culture Zone, and add the Silesian Museum if you have more time.