The music is from the great Composer of Soviet Union, Dmitri Shostakovich (Polish origin)
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A gift of the Soviet People for the Polish Nation
A lot of anti-communists want to see the palace demolished. As you can see the Monument is in very bad codition. The anticomunist governments after 1990 (Restoration of Capitalism in Poland and the loss of Independence of Poland with the new occupation from Germany) are waiting of the natural destruction of that Monument commiting a crime against the memory of the working class.
It was built in 1952-1955 according to the design of the Soviet architect Lew Rudniewa , who was inspired by the Moscow skyscrapers (known outside Russia as the Seven Sisters ), modeled on American art deco towers . Architecturally, it is a mix of socialist realism and Polish historicism . Together with the antenna bracket, which is an integral part of the spire , it has a height of 237 meters
Józef Stalin was the originator of the construction of the Palace of Culture and Science. The designer of the skyscraper architecture, Lew Rudnev, wanted it to be in the Polish style, so he toured various cities (including Kraków , Chełmno and Zamość ) in order to gather the necessary information and get acquainted with Polish architecture. Then, together with his team, he created five projects. The Polish side added to the selected project the inclusion of theaters, exhibition halls and the equipment of the Congress Hall with an additional entrance (from Emilii Plater Street )
To decide on the height of the building, Russian and Polish architects gathered in the area of the Śląsko-Dąbrowski bridge on the right bank of the Vistula. A small plane, carrying a balloon, flew over the axis of the future skyscraper. The group standing near the bridge had radio contact with the pilot of the plane. Initially, the balloon flew at a height of 100 meters, then higher and higher: 110 and 120. The Russians with Rudniew at the head acknowledged that 120 m is enough for the highest point of the city. Poles with the group's plenipotentiary for the construction of the palace and at the same time the chief architect of Warsaw Józef Sigalin [7], however, began to call "Up!" After every 10 meters of increasing the height of the balloon. Eventually, the main tower was fixed at a height of 120 m, turret - 160 m plus a spire - 230 meters.
The construction of the building lasted from May 2, 1952 to July 22, 1955, and about 3,500-5000 Russian workers and 4,000 Polish workers worked on it . Russian workers lived in a housing estate built especially for them in Warsaw's Jelonki district with a cinema, canteen, common room and swimming pool . During the work 16 of them were killed; they were buried in the D headquarters at the Orthodox Cemetery.
Shortly after opening, the building hosted the 5th World Festival of Youth and Students. Many visiting dignitaries toured the Palace, and it also hosted performances by notable international artists, such as a 1967 concert by The Rolling Stones.
The planned destruction of Warsaw refers to the largely-realized plans by Nazi Germany to raze the city. The plan was put into full motion after the Warsaw Uprising in 1944. The uprising had infuriated German leaders who now wanted to make an example of the city, which they had long before selected for a major reconstruction as part of their plans to Germanize Central Europe.
Warsaw has to be pacified, that is, razed to the ground.
Adolf Hitler, 1944
The city must completely disappear from the surface of the earth and serve only as a transport station for the Wehrmacht. No stone can remain standing. Every building must be razed to its foundation.
SS chief Heinrich Himmler, October 17, 1944
After the Liberation of Warsaw by the Red Army and the Polish People's Army, the Old Town was meticulously rebuilt. In an effort at anastylosis, as many as possible of the original bricks were reused. However, the reconstruction was not always accurate to prewar Warsaw, sometimes deference being given to an earlier period, an attempt being made to improve on the original, or an authentic-looking facade being made to cover a more modern building. The rubble was sifted for reusable decorative elements, which were reinserted into their original places. Bernardo Bellotto's 18th-century vedute, as well as pre-World War II architecture students' drawings, were used as essential sources in the reconstruction effort; however, Bellotto's drawings had not been entirely immune to artistic licence and embellishment, and in some cases this was transferred to the reconstructed buildings.
