Century Hall

The Centennial Hall in Wrocław (Polish: Hala Stulecia, German: Jahrhunderthalle) was built between 1911 and 1913 by the city building councilor Max Berg. The domed reinforced concrete structure, with a diameter of 65 meters, was developed by Günther Trauer and verified by engineer Heinrich Müller-Breslau. Upon completion, it had the largest span of its kind in the world. The design's authors were inspired by the Festhalle in Frankfurt am Main, which, however, is constructed of steel beams.
The Centennial Hall represents the center of the Wrocław Exhibition Grounds, the overall concept of which was designed by German architect Hans Poelzig, who also built the Pavilion of Four Domes and a pergola here. The Centennial Exhibition in Wrocław took place from May 20 to October 26, 1913, to commemorate the victory of Prussia over Emperor Napoleon I. The city council did not choose the theme randomly. However, the expected financial support from the imperial court did not materialize, and the city had to cope with the huge investments on its own.
After the incorporation of Silesia into Poland in 1945, when the hall remained almost untouched by the war, the building was renamed the People's Hall (Polish: Hala Ludova) and hosted countless trade, cultural, and sports events for 6,000 seated or up to 20,000 standing spectators. In the 1970s and 1980s, the hall served as a cinema called Gigant. In 1997, on the occasion of Pope John Paul II's visit, the hall was completely renovated. In 2004, the hall was listed among the 25 most significant Polish buildings, and in 2006 it was included on the UNESCO World Heritage list for its unique reinforced concrete structure. In 2011, costly construction work began to return the Centennial Hall to its original form from 1913.