Your support helps us to tell the story Read more

       Support Now

       From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

       At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

       The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

       Your support makes all the difference.

       Read more

       Seventy years after Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin “gifted” Warsaw its towering Palace of Culture and Science, the skyscraper at the heart of Poland's capital still stirs strong feelings.

       The palace – which is marking the 70th anniversary of its opening on 22 July 1955, when Poland was part of the Soviet-led communist Eastern Bloc – was conceived by Stalin as a symbol of Soviet domination and initially bore his name.

       "If you put a big palace, a kind of skyscraper at the time, in the middle of the city that can be seen from 30km (19 miles) away, it shows the power," said Dorota Zmarzlak, a member of the palace's board.

       Younger people no longer see it that way, she said.

       After the end of communist rule in Poland in 1989, many Soviet-era monuments were removed and street names changed.

       open image in gallery

       A socialist realist sculpture is seen on the facade of the Palace of Culture and Science in Warsaw ( Reuters )

       The palace remained, even though prominent politician Radoslaw Sikorski, who is now Poland's foreign minister, called for it to be demolished in 2007.

       It has been used as a concert venue and hosted political events, exhibitions and fashion shows. A riot broke out when the Rolling Stones played there in 1967, long before communist rule ended.

       "It was an escape for me, I could go somewhere," said Zygmunt Kowalski, 89, a retired railway worker who moved to Warsaw a month after the palace opened, and swam with his daughter in its pool as well as seeing films and concerts there.

       "Everything can be torn down, but let this stay for future generations, as proof of what once was ... the next generations will have evidence that communism was here," he said.

       The palace still has four theatres, a large cinema and museums, and hosts exhibitions. The concert hall is being renovated.

       open image in gallery

       A drone view shows the skyline of Warsaw with the Vistula River and a pedestrian footbridge in the foreground, and the Palace of Culture and Science visible among the city’s landmarks in the background ( Reuters )

       Some younger Warsaw residents focus less on the palace's political history than on its status as a Warsaw landmark.

       Karol Los, a 23-year-old student, said the palace, now surrounded by modern skyscrapers, is inseparable from the city's identity.

       "For me, it's a symbol of Warsaw. I think young people see it very differently than the older generation," he said.

       Ukrainian architect Valerii Shcherbak, 32, admires the palace's architectural detail and its popularity with tourists.

       "This is history and we need to respect it," he said, noting that many Soviet-era buildings in Ukraine have been destroyed. "What happened in the past should be kept for history, not destroyed."