Palace of Culture and Science, Warsaw

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Coordinates: 52°13′54″N, 21°00′23″E

The Palace of Culture and Science (Polish: Pałac Kultury i Nauki, also abbreviated PKiN) in Warsaw is the tallest building in Poland, the seventh tallest building in the European Union, and the world's 187th tallest building. The building was originally known as the Joseph Stalin Palace of Culture and Science (Pałac Kultury i Nauki imienia Józefa Stalina), but in the wake of destalinization the dedication was revoked^{[citation needed]}; Stalin's name was hastily removed from the interior lobby and one of the building's sculptures.

Contents 1 History 2 Present day 3 Radio and TV transmissions 3.1 Radio 3.2 TV 4 Photos of the Palace 5 See also 6 External links

[edit] History

Construction started in 1952 and lasted until 1955. A gift from the Soviet Union to the people of Poland, the tower was constructed, using Soviet plans, almost entirely by 3500 workers from the Soviet Union, of whom 16 died in accidents during the construction. The architecture of the building is closely related to several similar skyscrapers built in the Soviet Union of the same era, most notably the Moscow State University. However, the main architect Lev Rudnev incorporated some Polish architectural details into the project by traveling around Poland and seeing the architecture. The monumental walls are headed with pieces of masonry copied from renaissance houses and palaces of Kraków and Zamość. The gift from Stalin was said to be an option of either a metro system, or the palace. The people wanted a metro, so Stalin gave them the palace.^{[citation needed]}

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 first by a major western rock group behind the Iron Curtain.[1] [2]

[edit] Present day

As the city's most visible landmark, the building was controversial from its inception. Many Poles initially hated the building because they considered it to be a symbol of Soviet domination, and at least some of that negative feeling persists until today. Some have also argued that, regardless of its political connotations, the building destroyed the aesthetic balance of the old city and imposed dissonance with other buildings. However, over time, and especially in recent years, Warsaw has acquired a number of other skyscrapers of comparable height, so that the Palace now fits somewhat more harmoniously into the city skyline. Furthermore, since Soviet domination over Poland ended in 1989, the negative symbolism of the building has much diminished. Four 6.3-metre clock faces were added to the top of the building in 2000, making it briefly the tallest, and now the world's second-tallest, clock tower (after the NTT DoCoMo Yoyogi Building, to which a clock was added in 2002).

The inhabitants of Warsaw still commonly use nicknames to refer to the palace, notably Pekin (Pekin in Polish, because of its abbreviated name PKiN) or Pajac ("puppet", a word that sounds close to Pałac). The terrace on the 30th floor, at 114 metres, is a well-known tourist attraction with a panoramic view of the city. An old joke held that the best views of Warsaw were available from the building: it was the only place in the city from where it could not be seen (a claim originally made by the French writer Guy de Maupassant about the Eiffel Tower).

The building currently serves as an exhibition centre and office complex. It is also used for FM and TV broadcasting. It is 237 metres^{[citation needed]} (778 ft) tall which includes the height of the spire of 49 metres. There are 3288 rooms on 42 floors, with an overall area of 123,000 m², containing cinemas, theatres, museums, offices, bookshops, and a large conference hall for 3000 people.

[edit] Radio and TV transmissions

The building is used for transmitting the following radio and TV channels:

[edit] Radio

Station	Frequency	Transmission power
Radio Maryja	89.0 MHz	1.00 kW
Radio Wawa	89.o MHz	0,50 kW
Polskie Radio	92.0 MHz	0.20 kW
Temporary radio	92.0 MHz	0.20 kW
Radio VOX FM Warszawa	93.3 MHz	1.00 kW
Antyradio 94 FM	94.0 MHz	1.00 kW
Radio RMF Maxxx	95.8 MHz	0.50 kW
Radio Józef	96.5 MHz	10.00 kW
Akademickie Radio Kampus	97.1 MHz	0.10 kW
Tok FM	97.7 MHz	0.10 kW
Radio RMF Classic	98.3 MHz	0.10 kW
Radio Złote Przeboje Pogoda	100.1 MHz	1.00 kW
RDC - Radio Dla Ciebie	101.0 MHz	10.00 kW
Radiostacja	101.5 MHz	0.20 kW
Radio PiN 102 FM	102.0 MHz	0.50 kW
Radio Kolor 103 FM	103.0 MHz	1.00 kW
Roxy FM	103.7 MHz	0.20 kW
Radio Eska Rock Warszawa	104.4 MHz	0.50 kW
Polskie Radio Program 2	104.9 MHz	2.50 kW
Radio Eska Warszawa	105.6 MHz	3.20 kW
Radio Warszawa	106.2 MHz	1.00 kW
Radio Zet	107.5 MHz	10.00 kW

[edit] TV

Station	Frequency	Channel number	Transmission power
TVP 1	215.25 MHz	11	75 kW
Temporal	471.25 MHz	21	3 kW
TVP 2	519.25 MHz	27	110 kW
TVN	567.25 MHz	33	10 kW
Polsat	583.25 MHz	35	100 kW
DVB-T	690.00 MHz	48	1.35 kW
TVP 3	711.25 MHz	51	100 kW
DVB-T POT	746.00 MHz	55	1.3 kW
TV 4	767.25 MHz	58	3 kW

[edit] Photos of the Palace

Palac5.jpg Construction	Socrealizm.jpg Socialist Realist sculptures surrounding the Palace	Palac Nauki.jpg The Palace at dusk	Warsaw cult palace night.jpg The Palace at night
PKiN view N dusk.jpg View north from the viewing gallery at dusk	Panoramawarszawy.jpg Warsaw skyline, with the Palace on the left

[edit] See also

• All-Russia Exhibition Centre
• Eighth Sister (Moscow)
• Hotel Leningradskaya
• Moscow State University
• Palace of Soviets
• Parade Square
• Riga Academy of Science
• Seven Sisters (Moscow)
• Triumph-Palace

[edit] External links

• Official site
• Palace of Culture & Science in the Structurae database
• Google maps view on Palace of Culture and Science
• Pictures of the Palace of Culture and Sciencear:قصر الثقافة والعلوم في وارسو

de:Kulturpalast (Warschau) eo:Varsovia Kultur- kaj Sciencpalaco fr:Palais de la culture et de la science he:ארמון התרבות והמדע nl:Paleis van Cultuur en Wetenschap ja:文化科学宮殿 nn:Kulturpalasset i Warszawa pl:Pałac Kultury i Nauki pt:Palácio da Cultura e Ciência