Centennial Hall

The Centennial Hall (Hala Stulecia) was built in 1913 to the design of Max Berg, and it was a breakthrough in engineering. A vast public hall sits under a ribbed reinforced-concrete dome about 65 metres across, the widest of its kind anywhere when it was finished. UNESCO added it to the World Heritage list in 2006 as a landmark in the history of modern architecture.

This is the most important modern building in Wroclaw and the anchor of a large exhibition park east of the centre. The hall still works for its original purpose, hosting concerts, fairs and sporting events, and when nothing is on you can look inside the great domed space. The grounds around it hold a pergola, a Japanese garden and a big multimedia fountain, so it makes an easy half-day out of the old town.

Berg roofed the hall with a dome of ribbed reinforced concrete rising to about 42 metres inside, a scale that had not been built in the material before. The design influenced concrete architecture across the twentieth century. A visitor route and an exhibition explain how it was built and how it has been used since. Check the events calendar, because access to the interior depends on what is booked that day.

Around the hall spreads a park laid out at the same time, with a curved pergola, a Japanese garden and a large multimedia fountain that runs choreographed water-and-light shows in the warm months. The nearby Szczytnicki Park and the city zoo round out an afternoon here.

The hall was raised to mark the centenary of the 1813 wars against Napoleon, when the city was part of Prussia and known as Breslau. It survived the Second World War largely intact, and its engineering has kept it in use ever since. A steel-and-glass lantern sits on top of the concrete shell, adding height above the dome.

Allow about half an hour to an hour for the hall and its exhibition, and a couple of hours more if you add the park, the Japanese garden and, in season, an evening fountain show.

The warm months are best, because the multimedia fountain only runs from spring to autumn and the shows are set to music after dark. Check what is on at the hall, since large events can close the interior to casual visitors. Weekends draw families to the park and fountain.

The complex is a short tram ride east of the centre, and several lines stop right outside. Driving is straightforward, with parking nearby. For planning the rest of your stay, see the Wroclaw guide.

The park and the ground level of the hall are broadly step-friendly, with wide paved paths around the grounds and the fountain. Some parts of the historic interior involve stairs, so check the venue's access information if you need step-free routes throughout.

The hall sits in a cluster of attractions in the eastern parks:

• The Japanese Garden in Szczytnicki Park, a few minutes' walk.
• Wroclaw Zoo and its Afrykarium, across the road.
• The market square and Old Town, a short tram ride back west.
• The Panorama of Raclawice, between the hall and the old town.

It was one of the first large buildings roofed by a reinforced-concrete dome on this scale, and it shaped how the material was used in the twentieth century. UNESCO listed it in 2006 as a milestone in modern architecture and engineering.

Yes, when no event is booked. There is a visitor route and an exhibition on its history. Access to the main domed space depends on the day's programme, so check the calendar first.

The multimedia fountain operates in the warm months, roughly spring to autumn, with water-and-light shows set to music after dark. It is switched off over winter.