Olive oil as you don’t know it: Hala Olivia
Our neighbour, Hala Olivia, is one of the most recognizable sports facilities in Poland. The fate of the hall is inextricably linked with the recent history of Polish. The decision to build an artificial ice rink in Gdańsk was made in 1961. A year later, the place was indicated: the Oliwa district. The competition, announced by the Provincial Committee of Physical Culture and the Gdańsk branch of the Association of Polish Architects, received 46 works. Eventually, the design of engineer Stanisław Kuś and architects Maciej Krasiński and Maciej Gintowt (who also designed the Spodek Arena in Katowice) was sent for implementation, which was to resemble a ship overcoming sea waves.
Construction of the hall began in 1966. In the winter season of 1969/1970, an open artificial ice rink was put into use, adjacent to the indoor hall under construction. The first match played there, still without the participation of the public, took place in 1970 .
The hall received its name two years later. Per contest announced by RKS Stoczniowiec received 280 proposals. Eight teams qualified for the finals: Balton, Korab, Neptun, Stoczniowiec, Jantar, Lodmor, Olivia, Tormor.
The Olivia Hall was opened on December 16, 1972. The first events organized here (on the opening day) were a figure skating show on ice and a friendly hockey match between the second league Stoczniowiec Gdańsk and the first league Polonia Bydgoszcz, which ended with a score of 4:6.
Many cultural and sports events took place in the Olivia Hall, but the hall became a permanent fixture in modern history in 1981, when the first National Congress of the Solidarity Trade Union was held here. The programme of the union was adopted and the chairman of the National Commission was elected, Lech Wałęsa. The participants of the congress issued the famous “Message to the Working People of Eastern Europe”. The organization of the congress was possible thanks to the signing of the August Agreements in 1980, as a result of which the Independent Self-Governing Trade Union “Solidarity” could be registered.
Stars such as Iron Maiden (1986) and Elton John (1984) have performed in the Olivia Hall. It was also the place where Dariusz Michalczewski’s first professional fight in Poland took place. Prokom Trefl basketball players played here in the Euroleague, judoka had the European Championships, and hockey players had the World Championships of the First Division. The hall was also the venue for the Baltexpo trade fair.
The hall consists of two full-size indoor ice rinks (also used as sports fields or venues for artistic performances: a folding floor made of parquet boards, an ice rink designed by Roman Lipowicz), respectively: 2660 m² and 2400 m². In the so-called A large hall can organize an event for 5.5 thousand people. Olivia has sports and recreational, hotel (Sportsman’s House “Olivia”) and catering facilities.
In the years 1995–2000 the Olivia Hall was modernized, in the period 2007–2010 the roof was renovated, in the years 2014–2015 the interior of the smaller hall was thoroughly renovated, in the spring and summer of 2016 the façade was renovated, the glazing was replaced, and external illumination was installed.
DID YOU KNOW THAT…
Olivia Star is 180 meters high, which makes it the tallest building in the Tri-City and places it among the tallest buildings in Poland. The height of the Old refers to the August events in Gdańsk in 1980, and the architecture of the summit refers to the Olivia Hall adjacent to the Olivia Business Centre.
Origin:
http://stoczniowiec.org.pl/klub-hala-olivia
http://strefahistorii.pl/article/619-historia-gdanskiej-hali-olivia
