? Happy 50th anniversary to Katowice’s Spodek ‘flying saucer’! The Spodek Arena in Katowice is the most unique building in the city that looked like a UFO from a distance.? It’s a multipurpose sport and show arena and used to be the largest indoor venue of its kind in Poland with a capacity of 11,500. Today, it more like the symbol of the city that impresses people with its very creative design.
Of course, there’s more to Katowice than just the Spodek, visitors will marvel at plenty of industrial heritage here. For centuries, the city has been an industrial center, making it an intriguing modern destination for those looking to see more of Poland. One of the highlights is the Industrial Monuments Route in Nikiszowiec district, which is a historical settlement that was all made of red brick and was only housing for mining families. This settlement consists of 9 buildings representing Silesian “familiok” architecture, each one has a square or triangle form with the level of floors limited to three, surrounding large inside courtyards. It is one of Poland’s official national Historic Monuments and has the potential to be a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Katowice is also one of the most interesting musical cities in the world. It is home to the Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra and is also the place holding the biggest indoor blues festival in the world, Rawa Blues Festival. With its musical soul of the city, Katowice was named a UNESCO City of Music as part of the UNESCO Creative Cities initiative in 2015.
Just about an hour west of Krakow, the Katowice can be a nice weekend getaway for you to explore a different side of Poland.?
Photo: Katowice.eu
