The Centennial Hall, Wroclaw, Poland

centennial hall wroclawWe make a point of visiting all Unesco World Heritage sites that are within easy reach of where we are. So, we took a bus from our central Wroclaw hotel out to the Centennial Hall on the edge of Wroclaw. We hadn't done much research into what we would see, so, with no expectations, we arrived at a place that fulfilled our lack of expectations perfectly.

To put it succinctly, Centennial Hall is an undistinguished pile of concrete and steel that was built in the early 20th Century, for some unknown reason. The story goes that Wroclaw needed an event center, and so an architectural competition was held. It looks like the mayor's brother-in-law was the winner. That's the only way I can explain this.

How it got to be a Unesco World Heritage site? That I can't explain at all.

In an exhibit in the hall, (that you have to pay $4 to get into,) you learn a few things, none of which really matter when confronted by the surpassing ugliness of this building. It has one distinguishing feature: it is the largest span of a dome in the world, beating out Rome's Pantheon. But, Rome's Pantheon has the grave of Raphael. Centennial Hall in Wroclaw has volleyball tournaments.

OK, to be fair, I should mention that Centennial Hall has also hosted a Nazi Party rally that featured Adolf Hitler himself, and a World Eucharistic Conference starring favorite local Pope John Paul II.

Up Your Travel Skills

Looking to book your next trip? Use these resources that are tried and tested by us.

First, to get our best travel tips, sign up for our email newsletter.

Then, be sure to start your reading with our Resources Page where we highlight all the great travel companies and products that we trust.

Travel Accessories: Check out our list of all the accessories we carry to make getting there and being there a lot easier.

Credit Cards: See our detailed post on how to choose the right travel rewards credit card for you.

Flights: Start finding the very best flight deals by subscribing to Thrifty Traveler.

Book your Hotel: Find the best prices on hotels with Booking.com.

Travel Insurance: Don't leave home without it. We recommend Allianz Travel Insurance.

See all of the gear and books we like in one place on our Amazon shop.

Leave a Comment

If you liked this post, please share it.

Thanks.