Story
The story of Palace of Culture and Science
Love it or hate it, you cannot miss it. At 237 metres, the Palace of Culture and Science was a gift from the Soviet Union to the people of Poland, agreed on 5 April 1952 and completed in 1955, when it was the eighth tallest building in the world. It was designed by the Soviet architect Lev Rudnev in the spirit of Moscow's Seven Sisters.
To decide its height, architects watched a small plane tow a balloon over the site at different altitudes. Between 3,500 and 5,000 Soviet workers and 4,000 Polish workers built it, and 16 died in accidents. It was first named after Stalin, but his name was removed during de-Stalinisation.
Varsovians gave it plenty of nicknames, from Pekin, after its initials PKiN, to Stalin's rocket and a drunk confectioner's nightmare. Today it holds theatres, museums, a cinema, a swimming pool and a 3,000-seat Congress Hall. Ride up to the 30th-floor terrace, 114 metres high, for the best view of the city.
This story is compiled from Wikipedia and other open sources; dates and numbers are checked against the source. The text is shared under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence. Source ↗
Hear this story on the spot, in a natural voice
On Sightlore, the story of Palace of Culture and Science is narrated in a natural voice in 5 languages. When you arrive, say "I'm here" and get your passport stamp.
51 more stories from Warsaw in the app
More highlights in Warsaw
- University of WarsawRead its story →
- National Museum in WarsawThe National Museum in Warsaw is a national art museum located in Warsaw and one of the largest museums in Poland.
- Łazienki PalaceThe Palace on the Isle, also known as the Baths Palace, is a classicist palace in Warsaw's Royal Baths Park, the city's largest park, occupying over 76 hectares of the city center.
- Warsaw Old TownWarsaw Old Town, also known as Old Town, and historically known as Old Warsaw, is a neighbourhood, and an area of the City Information System, in the city of Warsaw, Poland, located within the district of Śródmieście.
- Museum of the History of Polish JewsPOLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews is a museum dedicated to preserving and recalling the memory of the history of Jews in Poland. The museum is located on the site of the former Warsaw Ghetto.
- Royal Castle in WarsawThe Royal Castle in Warsaw is a state museum and a national historical monument, which formerly served as the official royal residence of several Polish monarchs.
- Miła 18The Anielewicz Bunker, also known as the Anielewicz Mound, was the headquarters and hidden shelter of the Jewish Combat Organization (ŻOB), a Jewish resistance group in the Warsaw Ghetto in Poland during the Nazi German occupation of World War II.