Centennial Hall

Centennial Hall, built between 1911 and 1913 to designs by Max Berg, is one of the great landmarks of early modern architecture. Its ring-shaped reinforced-concrete dome, about 65 metres across, was the largest of its kind when completed, and its clean, monumental form influenced engineers and architects across Europe. The building was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2006 and still hosts concerts, sports and large events. It sits in a park with a pergola, a pond and the Multimedia Fountain, and near the Japanese Garden. For visitors, the key stop is the Visitor Centre, which tells the story of Berg's design and construction with touch screens, maps, film and sound recordings, and virtual-reality tours that take you to places normally closed to the public. A combined ticket also covers a sightseeing tour of the hall's interior.

The Visitor Centre is the best way to understand what you are looking at. The exhibition explains how the hall was conceived for a major exhibition marking the anniversary of the Wars of Liberation, how the engineers used reinforced concrete to span the space without internal supports, and how the structure has changed since. The virtual-reality segments are the highlight, taking you inside the structure and above the dome in ways a normal visit never could. Choosing the combined ticket adds a look at the hall interior, subject to what is on that day.

Timing needs care. The Hall hosts events, and the interior may be closed for them, so check the availability calendar before you go. In the colder months the Visitor Centre runs a winter schedule, generally Tuesday to Sunday, so confirm on the day. The Multimedia Fountain and the Japanese Garden are warm-season sights, so in November plan around the hall and the park, not the fountain show. The fountain is free to watch in the season, with evening shows that combine water, light and music, so it is worth saving for a summer return.

Centennial Hall is a short tram ride from the old town, so plan a half-day. Walk around the outside of the dome, along the pergola and across the park before or after your visit, and bring a hat in cold weather, because the grounds are open and exposed. Cafes and food outlets operate near the hall, though choices vary by day. If you are visiting with children, the open grounds are a good place for them to run between museum stops.