Warsaw Palace of Culture

The Warsaw Palace of Culture and Science (Pałac Kultury i Nauki) was a controversial gift from the Soviet leader Joseph Stalin to the people of Warsaw in Poland, which, at the time (the 1950s), was a satellite state of the USSR. It is a huge concrete neo-gothic block adjacent to Warsaw Central Station, which has a unique beauty of its own, and this ambivalence is reflected in the attitude of the native Varsovians to the building which is the subject of a love-hate relationship.

Initially the building was called 'Stalin's Palace' (Pałac imienia Stalina) until it was renamed in the late 1950s. It currently serves as an exhibiton center and as an office park. The terrace on the 35th floor is a well-known tourist attraction giving a nice view of the city.