Playing hide and seek with a landmark (Palace of Culture and Science (Warsaw))

Member Name: dangaroo

Product:	Palace of Culture and Science (Warsaw)
Date:	19/07/09 (26 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: A prominent building with lots of cool stuff inside

Disadvantages: Surely its days are numbered

In recent years there have been blatant architectural attempts to cover up the Palace of Culture with various skyscrapers, the latest being the in your face shopping centre Zlote Tarasy.

The Palace of Culture is not a particularly well liked building, mostly due to its status as a gift by Stalin from the USSR to Poland for war efforts and "embracing" communism.

Supposedly Warsaw was offered a metro/subway or this building and took the building instead, thus the reason metro stations are still being built today. To the foreign eye, this imposing building is not particularly ugly, it's an impressive size and in reality probably one of the best looking buildings in Warsaw still today.

It's not as grey as people would have you believe and compared to the nearby train station, it's a work of art. It houses numerous theatres, cinemas, "Café Kulturalna" downstairs - a place that is always keen to show unique films or concerts, it's a bit pricey and a tad snobby but another option all the same.

The cinema Kinoteka has old-fashioned small rooms but the prices are almost uncomparable in Warsaw - being particularly cheap when you have their membership card.

The reception staff and in particular in the locker room downstairs, lack charm. There's very often science expositions of interest there and they are usually cheap, this also means they tend to get relatively busy too - being a particular favourite with school trips. The elevator is insanely fast and worth the ticket entrance in itself.

On the top floor you get a wonderful panorama of the city for about 15zl, if the weather is good then its well worth your value, a disappointing factor though is that the2zl a go telescopes at the top are often out of order.

Overall, I like this building but the Poles don't and it's only a matter of time before it's knocked down in my opinion. Go there while you have the chance.

Summary: Not as obvious as it once was but still a major sight