Palace of Culture and Science
Main data:
Total height: 231 metres
Number of floors: 42
Year of construction: 1955
Designers: Lew Rudniew and his team
Location: Pl. Defilad 1 (1, Defilades Square)
Since more than fifty years this monumental, grey building have been dominating Warsaw. Some Warsaw inhabitants do not like it at all, because it reminds them of past, communistic times. There are even some people who would knock it down eagerly. But others feel strong attachment to the building. One thing is sure - since all that time that passed since Palace of Culture's construction it managed to become one of the city's symbols. It is the highest skyscraper in the city and the oldest building of this scale. Before the Second World War probably nobody would think that in few years time, in few years time, in the middle of the city, in the thickly build-up area this monumental building would arise. But it happened. Despite the fact that a lot of buildings on that area was saved from the war's destruction, they were knocked down in order to make a place for "the USSR gift". Wielka street was liquidated at that time and Sienna, Sliska, Zlota, Chmielna, Zielna and Panska streets were shortened. The construction of the building was started in 1952 and finished three years later. Originally the building was named after Joseph Stalin (the inscription over the front gate 'Joseph Stalin Palace of Culture and Science' was off course removed many years ago but reportedly its trace was still visible even just before the building's renovation in 2000). For the Palace's builders a special housing estate of so-called Finnish houses was built (osiedle Przyjazn, in the area of Konarskiego street, today - student residences and private houses). Most of the materials used for covering elevation of "The symbol of Polish-Soviet friendship" was taken from Polish quarries, among others - limestone from area of Czestochowa, sandstones from area of Szydlow (Swietokrzyskie region) and granites from Sudety mountains.
The palace's architecture seems to be outdated nowadays, however some people consider it to be really a piece of art. The sure thing is that the palace's designers - Lew Rudniew with his team had to do a really hard work on all palace's details. Palace of Culture is a typical building of socialist realism, but also its designers were trying to refer to the previous architecture styles, for example the columns next to the main gate can be associated with classicism. Additional architecture elements are allegoric sculptures, connected with communistic ideology, placed around the building.
In the 1950s in USSR and its satellite countries more buildings similar to Palace of Culture were constructed. We can find them in Riga, in Bucharest and off course in Moscow, where there are eight of them (among others Moscow University, Ukraine Hotel, Leningradskaya Hotel).
First floors of Palace of Culture is really a labyrinth. A lot of different cultural and scientific institutions are situated here. Also, very often various fairs and events are organised here. An this is where the famous Sala Kongresowa (Congress Hall) is - in the communistic times it was a place of the party's conventions, today it is a place of numerous concerts. On the first floors there are also a swimming pool, 3 theatres: 'Dramatyczny', 'Studio' and 'Lalka', 'Kinoteka' multiplex and 2 museums: Museum of Technology and Museum of Evolution. On higher floors there are many offices of scientific and cultural institutions, some of the city's administration is also situated here and also some private companies have their offices here. It is the place where the most expensive offices in Warsaw are, although other skyscrapers offer a bit higher standard. On the thirty-first floor of the palace, on the height of 114 metres there is a large observation deck. Fast lifts need only 19 seconds to go up here. A view on the city is really impressive - in sunny days it is possible to see from here all the city or even Kampinoski forest. Higher there are some floors with different technical equipment and at the very top a huge spire, which is a TV transmitter. On the elevation of the last floors there is a famous millennium clock, which was solemnly started in the moment of new millennium's beginning, at the midnight, on 1st of January 2001, during the New Year's party on Defilades Square. Actually, there are four clocks, one on each side of the palace. It is not sure if they are the largest or the highest situated clocks in the world. But they became a new symbol of the city very fast. And thanks to them it is always possible to check the exact time from every part of the Centre.
In the last years a process of improving the attractiveness of Palace of Culture have been taking place, so that the palace became more friendly for Warsaw inhabitants and tourists. Besides already mentioned millennium clocks, the observation deck was modernised lately. Screens and boards that inform tourists about the city and its history were installed, it is also possible to watch here a film which presents Warsaw and an interactive map of Warsaw is also available here. Also a café was arranged on the 31st floor. Usually in the summer period there is also a possibility of seeing the panorama of Warsaw at night - the observation deck is open till midnight then. An exhibition of wax figures, brought to Warsaw from Saint Petersburg, was an extra attraction of the palace on the end of 2000 and on the beginning of 2001. It was possible then to see here a wax figure of Stalin, Michael Jackson or Marilyn Monroe. Outside, in front of the palace there are also some attractions. Every winter, on the square on the northern side of the palace (near Swietorzyska street) a skating ring functions. And during the summer of 2002 even a beach was arranged here and a beach volleyball competition took place. But still the building is a little bit neglected, and for some people also mysterious. Probably that's why it caught attention of the authors of Polish TV serial "Ekstradycja" ("Extradition"). They decided to think up a kind of a legend connected with the building. In the movie, a head office of criminal organisation was located in the underground of the palace. Also a secret train station was located here and a train with explosives drove into it in case to blow up the building. This idea sounds rather na?vely. But it is truth that close to Palace of Culture an underground railway track is going and also that in the time when the building was constructed the public opinion was not informed about everything...
The palace's surrounding is still much less attractive then the building itself. Maybe apart from the area north of the building, where a park is located. But the areas south and east of the building are still undeveloped spaces. Car parks scattered in chaotic way, primitive stalls and enormous, metal market halls are elements of this area's landscape. Most of Warsaw inhabitants feel embarrassed that they have such city centre. Since many years architect and city authorities are thinking how to develop this area, but still in practise nothing is going on. There was a lot of different contests an conceptions of the palace's surrounding development. In 1998 there was a project of constructing around the palace skyscrapers in the shape of a crown. 5 versions of this conception were prepared but all of them were rejected so actually the case came back to where it started from. Then another ideas appeared. One of them was to construct in the place of today's Museum of Technology (southern part of the palace) a large, 340-metre-high, obelisk-shaped skyscraper, which would house among others 'Museum of Communism'. But also that project were declined and authors of 'Museum of Communism' idea, Jacek Fedorowicz and Andrzej Wajda will probably choose a different localisation for its realisation. There were also other ideas, some of them very original, like for example painting all the building in the colours of rainbow, constructing a metal tower next to the building or cutting it into pieces and putting each of them separately. Perhaps the most amazing one was the project of surrounding the whole building with an enormous dome, so that the palace did not spoil the city's landscape but also that it was not destructed. It is a shame that none of those untypical ideas were realised. The palace altered in such extraordinary way would attract tourists from all of the world for sure.
On the beginning of 2006, after turbulent discussions, master plan of the palace's surrounding was finally passed. But it provides boring and mundane solutions, not appropriate for big European capital city. It is just a project of building-up the area with typical, not very high houses and creating a few squares for public events. There is no fantasy or originality in this project. Why the city authorities do not have enough courage to support some of those untypical or even crazy ideas of Defilad Square development ? We should not be afraid of changing really a lot around the Palace of Culture ! Even the idea of the building's knockdown should not be neglected completely. Warsaw is a city that is built-up in such chaotic way that no attempts of putting it into order by introducing balanced buildings in the Centre will succeed. The pre-war city's character will not be reconstructed anyway. Buildings that are untypical, controversial but also interesting because of that are now our chance. Unfortunately, neither any from the past city authorities, none the present one does not have enough courage to make such radical decisions.
All that we can do is to hope that the master plan that is currently valid would not be realised also and that a different one, better and having more social support will be worked out soon. And that it will be put into life finally. Maybe in few years time we will have a real European city centre finally.
In 2007 Palace of Culture was listed in the register of historical buildings. So that actually means that its presence in urban landscape was finally accepted and any ideas of its demolition can no longer exist.
There is some more information about Palace of Culture, also in English, on the official building's website: www.pkin.waw.pl.
Unofficial translation of proper names that appeared in the text:
Wielka - Large Street or Great Street
Sienna - Hay Street
Sliska - Slippery Street
Zlota - Golden Street
Chmielna - Hop Street
Zielna - Herb Street
Panska - Master Street or Lord Street
Swietokrzyska - Holy Cross Street
Osiedle Przyjazn - Friendship Estate
Plac Defilad - Parades Square
'Dramatyczny' - 'Dramatic' (theatre)
'Lalka' - 'The Doll' (theatre)
(C) 2001-2010 Maciej Blazejewski