The National Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra

The establishment of NOSPR

National Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra was founded in 1935 in Warsaw. At that time it did not yet have the status of a national institution. As a result of the outbreak of the Second World War, NOSPR had to suspend its activity. Only after the end of the war, in 1945, the orchestra was moved to Katowice. Yet, NOSPR had to wait 60 years to be granted the status of a national institution by the Minister of Culture, who finally appreciated the contribution of this institution to the development of music. For many years the NOSPR was located in the Katowice Centre of Culture dedicated to Krystyna Bochenek (formerly GCK). It was not until 2014 that NOSPR received a new building, which impresses with its architecture and gains huge recognition among outstanding architects and world-famous musicians.

The construction of the new headquarters

The new building of NOSPR was built on a former coal mine 'Katowice'. The architecture of the building refers to the industrial roots of Silesia. NOSPR is today by far the most beautiful architectural achievement Silesia, an outstanding masterpiece of architecture. Even in an empty concert hall, one can admire the amazing harmony of the structures of the walls, lights and perfect acoustics. The very shape of the block mass evokes the associations with music. The facade of the building seems to be a combination of Silesian culture with perfect rhythm of the music. The structure of the building not only reflects the Silesian culture, but creates a story itself, thus becoming a new stage in the cultural pages of Silesia.

Cultural Area in Katowice (Strefa kultury w Katowicach)

The architect of the new headquarters NOSPR is Tomasz Konior, who has been changing the space use of Silesia for many years now. The building of NOSPR is located in the Katowice area of ​​culture, right in the vicinity of the Silesian Museum and the International Congress Centre in Katowice. The brick monolith is a true temple of burden. The main room accommodates 1,800 people, and the chamber hall is designed for 300 music lovers. The undulating structure of concrete, combined with birch wood and exotic elements, creates the warm atmosphere of the interior. 670 points of light enables to create the incredible bright space , and the additional 500 headlights serve to enhance the stunning effects during concerts. There is no doubt that the interior design encourages many outstanding artists of the world of classical music to perform in the NOSPR.

The arrangement of the concert halls

The structure of the Concert Hall in Katowice NOSPR resembles a vineyard. Thanks to this structure the audience surrounds the stage and they hear the same sound regardless of the allocation.

Perfect acoustics

However, the biggest asset of NOSPR is not the look of the building, but its acoustics. To achieve the perfection of sound, the master in the field of acoustics was invited to cooperate. It is Yasushisa Toyota who was in charge of the works on the construction of acoustic in NOSPR. A few years earlier, the Japanese company Nagata Acoustics also designed the buildings of such great halls as Suntory Hall in Tokyo, Walt Disney Hall in Los Angeles and the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam.

The significance of the construction of a NOSPRu can be proved by the true interest, expressed at the time of the works, by the greatest musicians, composers and conductors of Polish classical music scene. Krystian Zimerman, Krzysztof Penderecki, Wojciech Kilar, Eugeniusz Knapik, Kazimierz Kord, Jerzy Maksymiuk, and many other prominent musicians were actively involved in consultations on the final look and functionality of the facility. As a result, the building of NOSPRu impresses with the simplicity of architecture, ingenious land development, magnificent concert halls and perfect acoustics.

Probably everything has already been said to encourage the visitors to see this unique place. However, it is worth adding that, in addition to the stunning architecture, NOSPR is primarily famous for its prestigious musicians, the concerts of the most prominent celebrities and space for the development of music. NOSPR became not only a unique showcase of Katowice, but above all, a symbol of the transformation of Katowice and its cultural soul.