Centennial Hall

Centennial Hall

It is also called People's Hall. It was recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage object in 2006 and has been in the register of historical monuments since 1962. In 1977 the whole architectural complex was added to the register, consisting of Four Domes Pavilion, Pergola and Spire. The Hall was built in Szczytnicki Park between 1911 and 1913, designed by Max Berg in Expressionism style. Its name is connected with the 100th anniversary of the issuing of Frederic Wilhelm III's proclamation "To My People" in which the king called the nation to resist Napoleon. The moment the Hall was completed, it became an extraordinary building with its ferroconcrete vault of worldwide widest spread - at that time very few steel construction achieved such dimensions. The Hall is 42m tall and the dome has a diameter of 67m. The functional space inside, in the widest place it is 95m, is 14,000 m2. Besides the central room, there are 56 other display rooms and spacious back rooms. It has a capacity of 10,000 people. Since the beginning it has hosted large exhibitions, industrial and cultural events. Inside there is also a special organ of 222 registers and 16,706  pipes, the biggest in the world at that time. Currently the organ is partly used in the Wroclaw Cathedral as they were partly damaged during World War II. What is interesting, the Hall itself remained practically untouched by the cataclysm. Was the Red Army unaware that in 1930s numerous speeches of NSDAP leaders took place there, including Adolph Hitler's. After 1945 its function did not change, there was even Wroclaw's biggest "Gigant" cinema. However, until 1990s there was no repair, just a few improvements. The first renovation took place in 1997 but the general one was carried out a decade later: the elevation finished in 2010, new Regional Centre of Business Tourism was also built following Max Berg's enlargement plans. The works inside have not been finished yet.