Palace of Culture and Science
At Pl. Defilad there is an enormous
42-floor-high massive stalinist-gothic structure building (the style was officially called social realism) that is the highest, (230.68m/756.82 ft) building in Poland, and of course a main landmark in the city.
At the 30th floor there is a lovely terrace from which you can get a panoramic view over the city. The building houses a number of facilities, including congress hall, where big events and concerts take place, a swimming pool, Museum of Science and Technology and a couple of theatres, including Teatr Lalka - a puppet theatre.
As a gift from Josef Stalin (1878-1953, the former Soviet leader) the building was never particulary popular among the Polish people. The old joke runs therefore that this is Warszawa's best view because it is the only place where you actually can't see the Palace of Culture!
After 1989 city architects had a public discussion what to do with this unwanted old present (cover it, shorten it?), but already back then it was understood that the Palace will be soon classified as a historical monument over the past era. Indeed, it has been recently included on the list of the cultural heritage.
Anyway, it’s open daily and a major tourist attraction.
