Palace of Culture and Science, Warsaw

An eyesore or an iconic landmark, it all depends on your point of view. For years this was the tallest building by far in Warsaw and what made it important was that it was a gift to all of us Poles, from our friend Joseph Stalin. As to be expected, the Palace generated very strong feelings. It was hated and resented, but as the political climate changed, it became innocuous. Originally the building was called the Joseph Stalin Palace of Culture and Science but that was nixed really fast.

The construction of the PC&S was finished in 1955, it was built almost entirely by 3,500 Soviet workers, 16 of whom died in accidents during the building process. The Palace was designed by a Soviet architect Lew Rudniew and it closely resembled the main building of the Moscow State University.

This is a huge structure that holds a cinema with eight screens, four theaters, Museum of Evolution, Museum of Technology, a large swimming pool, various offices, two private Universities, the Polish Academy of Sciences and two large concert halls. One of the concert halls can hold up to 3000 people and it was the venue for many important artists like: The Rolling Stones, Marlene Dietrich, Bruce Springsteen and others.

As is the case in many areas of Warsaw, there are markings on the sidewalk outlining the borders of the Warsaw Ghetto.

A really fun thing to do is to go to the terrace on the 30th floor, where beautiful panoramic views of the city can be enjoyed. This is the sign for Kasa, a ticket window for the terrace.

The tickets are purchased up these stairs and the elevator is to the side. It is a very fast ride to the 30th floor.

For as long as I remember there were talks of one day knocking the Palace down, building something new in its space. I am against it, the Palace is such a huge part of Warsaw that it would be like cutting off a leg. But, I no longer live in Poland, so I guess it is not for me to decide......

Joanna

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