"Concrete and democracy belong together'

 In 1911, the Wroclaw city council commissioned architect Max Berg to design an Exhibition 
Grounds and Hall so that the city would compete with trade fairs such as those held in Leipzig and Frankfurt. Controversial at the time, the Centennial Hall was both an architectural and engineering master piece and is now listed as a UNESCO heritage building.

With its strong, simple and undecorated lines, the building heralds the Bauhaus and Art Deco movements of the 1920s and 1930s. The hall had no stage and the lower tiers of seats were removable so it could be used 'democratically' for exhibitions, concerts and sports events.

It was the largest dome built of reinforced concrete and the wide concrete arches were breakthrough in structural engineering.

In addition to the hall, there is also a long terraced restaurant overlooking a small lake which is turn is surrounding by a magnificent wisteria covered pergola. Originally the grounds featured five themed gardens of which only the Japanese Garden remains.

Several Nazi rallies were held there in the thirties but Hitler hated the building as being too stark and plain. To celebrate the triumph of socialism over fascism, in 1948 a tall slender spire was placed at the main entrance to the hall. Still used extensively today, the building has been lovingly restored.