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Palace of Culture and Science

1955 establishments in PolandArt Deco architecture in PolandClock towersLandmarks in PolandOffice buildings completed in 1955
Palaces in WarsawPoland–Soviet Union relationsSkyscraper office buildings in WarsawSocialist realismSoviet foreign aidStalinism in PolandStalinist architectureTowers completed in 1955Śródmieście, Warsaw
Poland 01144 Palace of Culture and Science (31105356451)
Poland 01144 Palace of Culture and Science (31105356451)

The Palace of Culture and Science (Polish: Pałac Kultury i Nauki; abbreviated PKiN) is a notable high-rise building in central Warsaw, Poland. With a total height of 237 metres (778 ft) it is the second tallest building in both Warsaw and Poland after Varso, the 6th-tallest building in the European Union (including spire) and one of the tallest on the European continent. Constructed in 1955, it houses various public and cultural institutions such as cinemas, theatres, libraries, sports clubs, university faculties, and authorities of the Polish Academy of Sciences. Since 2007, it has been enlisted in the Registry of Objects of Cultural Heritage. Motivated by Polish historical architecture and American art deco high-rise buildings, the PKiN was designed by Soviet Russian architect Lev Rudnev in "Seven Sisters" style and is informally referred to as the Eighth Sister. The Palace was also the tallest clock tower in the world until the installation of a clock mechanism on the NTT Docomo Yoyogi Building in Tokyo, Japan.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article Palace of Culture and Science (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors, Images).

Palace of Culture and Science
Plac Defilad, Warsaw Śródmieście (Warsaw)

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N 52.231666666667 ° E 21.006388888889 °
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Pałac Kultury

Plac Defilad 1
00-110 Warsaw, Śródmieście (Warsaw)
Masovian Voivodeship, Poland
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pkin.pl

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Poland 01144 Palace of Culture and Science (31105356451)
Poland 01144 Palace of Culture and Science (31105356451)
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Parade Square
Parade Square

Parade Square (Polish: Plac Defilad w Warszawie) is a square in downtown Warsaw. Located between ulica Świętokrzyska (Holy Cross Street) in the north, Aleje Jerozolimskie (Jerusalem Avenues) in the south, ulica Marszałkowska (Marshal's Street) in the east and the monumental Palace of Culture and Science to the west, it is one of Warsaw's central squares. It's one of the largest city squares in the world, and the second largest in the European Union, after the Alexanderplatz in Berlin, Germany. It is one of the youngest squares in Warsaw, built in the 1950s together with the Palace of Culture and Science. It was used extensively by the government of People's Republic of Poland for various propaganda parades. The biggest parade held was in 1966 to mark the millennium year of the Polish nation. Parade Square held a key place in the events of 1956. After Władysław Gomułka's restoration to power, on 24 October a rally was held in the square attended by around 400,000 people. During his speech at the rally, Gomułka condemned Stalinism and announced reforms aimed at democratizing the political system. A symbol of the changes was the refusal to accept Konstantin Rokossovsky, while the microphone was given to activist Lechosław Goździk. The crowd in the square expressed support for the reforms of Polish October, but they also demanded the release from prison of Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński, the leader of the Catholic church in Poland. Gomułka's singing of One Hundred Years (Sto lat) became legendary. On 14 June 1987, during the third apostolic journey to Poland, Pope John Paul II celebrated Mass in the square, ending the Second National Eucharistic Congress. The altar was located at the main entrance to the Palace of Culture and Science. During the Mass, the pope beatified Bishop Michał Kozal, who died in the Dachau concentration camp during the Second World War. The square lost its importance after the fall of communism, becoming the site of a giant marketplace for some time. Criticized for unplanned ugliness and chaos in the center of a modern capital city, several plans have been made to modernize it and/or replace with something else including plans to construct a Museum of Modern Art in its place (opening 2019) and general gentrification of a square with a new concert hall, different skyscrapers and other facilities. During the UEFA Euro 2012, which Warsaw was a host city for, a large Fan Zone was located there. Currently (2017) it is mainly used as a car park and the marketplace has been removed, its role mostly absorbed by the new suburban market at Marywilska 44. The city plans to allow construction on the site of the square. The parking spaces are to be moved to a new, underground facility.

Janusz Korczak Monument in Warsaw
Janusz Korczak Monument in Warsaw

Janusz Korczak Monument in Warsaw at Świętokrzyski Park has been unveiled in 2006. It is dedicated to the memory of Janusz Korczak. It has been designed by Jan Bohdan Chmielewski and Zbigniew Mikielewicz. The initiative to build a monument to commemorate Korczak appeared just after the war. However, due to difficulties in raising funds, the works did not go beyond the stage of plans. In 1999, on the initiative of Gołda Tencer, General Director of the Shalom Foundation and Prof. Jadwiga Bińczycka, President of the Janusz Korczak Polish Association, the issue of building a monument was revived. Many people from the worlds of art, science and politics took patronage of the initiative. Funds for the construction of the monument were raised by organizing charity concerts, art auctions and support from the city authorities. The design of the monument was selected as a result of an international contest, announced in 2001. The project by Bohdan Chmielewski and Zbigniew Wilma won. The cornerstone of the monument was placed in 2003 by the Mayor of Warsaw, Lech Kaczyński. The monument was unveiled in 2006, on June 1, on Children's Day. The ceremony was a state event, attended by the President of the Republic of Poland Lech Kaczyński and the President of the Polish Janusz Korczak Association Prof. Jadwiga Bińczycka, Rabbi Michael Schudrich and the General Director of the Shalom Foundation Gołda Tencer. The monument was erected at the site of a house for Jewish orphans, from which Janusz Korczak set off on his journey to the concentration camp with his pupils. There are several monuments commemorating Janusz Korczak in Warsaw itself, the best known of which is the one located in the Jewish cemetery on Okopowa Street, which serves as his symbolic grave. However, the monument set up in the Świętokrzyski Park is not only the largest but also, due to its very convenient location, the most frequently visited by school trips and tourists monument commemorating Janusz Korczak. Every year, around June 1st, on Children's Day, trips from Warsaw schools go to the monument.