POLISH INVESTFORUM 2010 - CONFERENCE VENUE

The Gdansk Music and Congress Centre – a harmony of history and modernity.

The Gdansk Music and Congress Centre is located on Olowianka island, which has its origins as an area belonging to a Teutonic Stronghold standing on the other side of the Motława river. The name of the island (which loosely translates into Lead Island) comes from lead stores that were placed here in 1597.

On the verge of the 19th and 20th centuries the Berlin-based company Siemens & Halske built a thermal-electric power station on Olowianka. The brick building was a marvelous sight to behold with its ornate neo-gothic facade, rosettes, flanks, turrets and even two towers. The power plant remained in operation until 1996.

The main building of the GMCC is the fruit of a revitalization project of the power station – a venture never before attempted in Poland. The unique look and feel of the Gdansk Centre was achieved by minimizing any changes that needed to be made for the building to function in its new role. All elevations were kept intact and only the internal areas were demolished.

The Gdansk Music and Congress Centre is one of the most modern institutions in Poland. Its equipment and project plan were designed with housing a multitude of various undertakings in mind.

The Royal Granary of 1606 also forms an integral part of the GMCC. For our purposes it has been transformed into an exclusive hotel.

The GMCC is the seat of the “F. Chopin” Polish Baltic Philharmonic in Gdansk.