Host Countries
Cities & Venues
Wilfredo Leon"I am really happy that the European Championship will take place in Poland. It's always great to play in the beautiful Polish sports arenas. However, the most important part of matches in Poland are the amazing fans and I hope that they will be able to support us live! This would be an additional motivation to play the best we can. We will want to improve our results from 2019 and give our fans a lot of joy, especially since last year they missed the excitement of seeing their team play."
Katowice is a fairly young, a little over 155 years old city in southern Poland. It is one of the biggest business centres in the country, the capital of the Silesian Voivodship, and since July 2017 it is the largest city of the Upper Silesia and Zagłębie Metropolis, inhabited by over 2 million people. It is home to renowned academic, medical and cultural institutions. The hallmark of Katowice is the Spodek arena which hosted many international music and sport stars and looks like a flying saucer.
Katowice used to be the leader in coal mine extraction but today it is recognised for its cultural and business events. A wide range of hotels, state-of-the-art conference halls and the perfect access attract various organizers, who find the best venues in the centre of the agglomeration. The festivals and cyclical events include regional and international projects. Music lovers and theatre fans visit the city every year to get to know the current trends, listen to world stars and feel the unique atmosphere. The Silesian Jazz Festival, Rawa Blues Festival, Off Festival or Tauron Nowa Muzyka have become staple events in the music calendar while the A PART International Theatre Festival, the International Summer Theatre Garden and the Festival of Directing Art are significant events for the theatre community.
The Culture Zone is a new part of the city, which came into being recently on the former ”Katowice” mining site. After the coal mine had been closed down, the following objects were constructed: the International Congress Centre (MCK), the new seat of the Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra and the Silesian Museum building complex.
Get moreKatowice is a city whose history is inseparably connected with mining. Nowadays, when the city’s image is changing considerably, visiting Nikiszowiec and Giszowiec – historic, more than 100-year-old mining settlements - is definitely worthwile. It is a place where you can still feel the atmosphere of the old industrial Silesia.
Katowice is one of the greenest cities in Poland, where woodlands occupy over 42% of the total urban area, including the remains of the Silesian Primeval Forest. The network of trails, cycling paths, specially designed tourist shelters, camping sites and educational boards foster practising various forms of active recreation. There are also many parks in the municipal area of Katowice from among which Kościuszko's Park and the Three Ponds Valley are the largest and the most popular ones.
Get moreVital Heynen"I think it's an absolute highlight for volleyball to again have a big tournament in Poland. I was here as a coach for team Belgium, I was here as a coach for Germany and it's really amazing to be here as a coach for the Polish team, in the most volleyball-loving country of Europe and probably the world."
Spodek is an iconic landmark of Katowice and one of the most readily recognized architectural objects in Poland. It was built 50 years ago and still continues to amaze viewers with its design. It is hard to imagine the landscape of Katowice without it. The Spodek Arena and its additional facilities and usable surfaces form a multi-functional complex that spans nearly 7 hectares. 11,000 visitors can fit into the tribunes of the Spodek Arena.
For the past 50 years, the Spodek Arena has served as a venue for major sports events, such as world championships in men’s volleyball or ice hockey. Ever since, the Spodek arena has hosted great entertainment events, such as concerts by, for instance, Sting, Jean Michel Jarre, Chris Rea, Cliff Richard, Joe Cocker, Tina Turner, Brian Adams, Elton John, Vanessa Mae, Deep Purple, Metallica, The Cure, Genesis, Robert Plant and Jimmy Page, Black Sabbath, Saxon, Mike Oldfield, The Kelly Family, Rammstein, Iron Maiden, Robbie Williams, Depeche Mode, Korn and Slipknot. For the past 40 years, it has hosted the Rawa Blues Festival; for 29 years the celebrated Metalmania Festival; and for 20 the Mayday techno music festival.
Spodek is also the venue for unforgettable sports events. Fans have enjoyed participating in numerous world championships in men’s volleyball, ice hockey, women’s handball, bodybuilding, weight-lifting, acrobatic gymnastics, the finals of the World League of men’s volleyball, and the European championships in wrestling, athletics, men’s handball and women’s basketball. In 2001, during the preliminaries and finals of the World League of men’s volleyball, the arena hosted nearly 50 thousand fans. In 2019 Spodek hosted the largest e-sports event, Intel Extreme Masters, attracting a record turnout of 178,000 spectators.
In the very heart of the city, next to the Spodek Sports and Entertainment Arena, an exceptional new area has been created. The Culture Zone consists of culture and entertainment centres, including the Spodek Arena, the International Conference Centre, the new seat of the Polish Radio National Symphony Orchestra and the new Silesian Museum. Spodek Arena together with the International Congress centre and the whole Culture Zone are often recommended as a great place to visit in southern Poland.
By car
Due to its perfect location close to the A4 and A1 motorways, the Spodek Arena can be accessed easily from many places in Poland and Europe. Numerous car parks located near the Spodek Arena make the facility comfortable to use.
By train
You can get to the Spodek Arena from the PKP railway station in Katowice:
• by foot in 15 min. (2.5km)
• by taxi from Plac Oddziałów Młodzieży Powstańczej or Młyńska street
• by tram from the Katowice Dworzec PKP stop, taking trams T2, T11, T13, T23, T43 to the Katowice Rondo stop (8 min.)
• by tram or bus
The nearest KZK GOP tram and bus stops for the Spodek Arena are the Katowice Rondo, Katowice Spodek, or Katowice Uniwersytecka stops.
By aeroplane
The Spodek Arena is located 30km away from the Katowice International Airport in Pyrzowice. It takes around 30 min. to get to the airport by car. You can go to the Spodek Arena from the airport in Pyrzowice by taxi (cost is approx. PLN 100) or by bus (fare is approx. PLN 30) Taking a bus from the airport, one has to go to the Katowice Sokolska stop (1km away) or the Katowice Hotel Novotel stop (850m away).
Due to its close proximity to the airports in Kraków-Balice (70km, approx 50 min.) and Ostrava (130km, approx. 1.2h) the Spodek Arena can easily be accessed from many places in Poland, Europe and around the world.