We stick together
Spodek is an undeniable symbol of Katowice, an icon whose characteristic shape is also recognisable outside the country. Thanks to its popularity, as well as its wide organisational possibilities (since 2015 in combination with the International Congress Centre), it attracts many events, often the international ones, from various fields, participated by thousands of people every year.
Spodek was one of the first buildings in the world topped with a dome-shaped roof. The 300-tonne structure, which gave the building the shape of an unidentified flying object, made it possible to combine its two basic functions – sports and entertainment. In addition to it, an ice rink, a gym, a swimming pool and a hotel were built. This multifunctional space occupies a total area of seven hectares.
The original location of the Spodek Arena was to be in the Voivodeship Park of Culture and Leisure, but eventually the Governor Jerzy Ziętek, who was personally interested in this project, decided to have it built in the centre of Katowice. Its construction took seven years.
The design according to which Spodek was built was drawn up by Maciej Gintowt and Maciej Krasinski. The structure designer was Professor Wacław Zalewski. His co-worker was Andrzej Zorawski. The team was awarded the first prize for their work in a competition open by SARP (the Association of Polish Architects) to only selected design studios.
From the very first years of its existence, Spodek has attracted great events. In 1972, during the Great Automobile Exhibition, the Fiat 126p had its premiere in the Spodek Arena, and a year later it became a huge cinema hall, where 104 thousand viewers had a chance to see “In Desert and Wilderness”, and 62 thousand – “The Godfather”.
Spodek has also hosted great entertainment events, such as concerts by, for instance, Sting, Jean Michel Jarre, Joe Cocker, Tina Turner, Bryan Adams, Elton John, Deep Purple, Metallica, The Cure, Genesis czy Depeche Mode. It is also the host of “Intel Extreme Masters” tournament.
How to get to Spodek?
Due to its perfect location close to the A4 and A1 motorways, the Spodek Arena can be accessed easily from many places in Poland and Europe. Numerous car parks located near the Spodek Arena make the facility comfortable to use.
You can get to the Spodek Arena from the PKP railway station in Katowice:
- by foot in 15 min. (2.5 km)
- by taxi from Plac Oddziałów Młodzieży Powstańczej or Młyńska street
- by tram from the Katowice Dworzec PKP stop, taking trams T13, T43 to the Katowice Rondo stop (8 min.)
- by tram or bus – the nearest KZK GOP tram and bus stops for the Spodek Arena are the Katowice Rondo, Katowice Spodek, or Katowice Uniwersytecka stops.
The Spodek Arena is located 30 km away from the Katowice International Airport in Pyrzowice. It takes around 30 min. to get to the airport by car. You can go to the Spodek Arena from the airport in Pyrzowice by taxi (cost is approx. PLN 100) or by bus (fare is approx. PLN 30) Taking a bus from the airport, one has to go to the Katowice Sokolska stop (1 km away) or the Katowice Hotel Novotel stop (850 m away).
We stick together
with map
