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Demolish Poland's Palace of Culture?


Polonius3 994 | 12,367
26 Jul 2013 #1
An online Rzepa survey on what to do about the Stalinesque 'wedding cake' known as the Pałac Kultury (nicknamed Pajac Kultury), the Warsaw cityscape's long-standing eyesore, has shown that 351 want it demolished, 522 want it to be left alone and 282 feel its entourage should be changed (built round) to make it less obvious. What's your take on this?

Nic, zostawić tak, jak jest (Głosy:522)
Budynku nie ruszać, ale zmienić jego otoczenie, żeby tak nie rzucał się w oczy (Głosy:282)
Zburzyć (Głosy:351)
mafketis 36 | 10,694
26 Jul 2013 #2
Obsessing about the Palace of Culture = living in the past.

It's part of the history of Warsaw for good and ill and should not be demolished (a daft idea proposed by silly people who want to erase the past rather than figure out how to live with and learn from it).

Personally I'm kind of fond of it in an ugly pet kind of way.
jon357 74 | 21,770
26 Jul 2013 #3
Obsessing about the Palace of Culture = living in the past.

Very much so.

people do like talking about it, and I'm please that most want it to stay. It's an iconic landmark, and a symbol more of post-war reconstruction as much as anything else. More than 50 people died during its construction, and the building is still used a lot.

Personally I'm kind of fond of it in an ugly pet kind of way.

Spot on.
delphiandomine 88 | 18,163
26 Jul 2013 #4
and the building is still used a lot.

Indeed. Most people that want to tear it down don't use it.

I think it's only a shame that it's not used as a genuine Palace of Culture these days.
Monitor 14 | 1,818
26 Jul 2013 #5
The current plan is to build skyscrapers around in order to hide it.
jon357 74 | 21,770
26 Jul 2013 #6
I think it's only a shame that it's not used as a genuine Palace of Culture these days.

There are a couple of theatres as well as all the concerts in the Sala Kongresowa. Plus the Palace of Youth in the North-West corner. Collegium Civitas uses quite a bit of the building too.

It's really very well used.
Magdalena 3 | 1,837
26 Jul 2013 #7
Pałac Kultury (nicknamed Pajac Kultury)

I lived in Warsaw for donkey's years (from the early seventies onwards) and I have never, ever heard anyone refer to it that way. The only "nickname" I can recall is Pekin - from PKiN (Pałac Kultury i Nauki). Everyone used to call it that, then sometime in the nineties the name became less popular for some reason.
delphiandomine 88 | 18,163
26 Jul 2013 #8
I lived in Warsaw for donkey's years (from the early seventies onwards) and I have never, ever heard anyone refer to it that way.

Like much of what Polonius claims, he invented it himself.
Monitor 14 | 1,818
26 Jul 2013 #9
then sometime in the nineties the name became less popular for some reason.

Maybe because Pekin (Beijing) is cool now ;)
smurf 39 | 1,971
26 Jul 2013 #10
I think it looks pretty cool, would be a shame to destroy it.
Monitor 14 | 1,818
26 Jul 2013 #11
I also think so, anyway I've read somewhere that it's under monuments protection because of it's age, or will be in few years.
Harry
26 Jul 2013 #12
The current plan is to build skyscrapers around in order to hide it.

That's been the plan for at least the last decade and a half. I really hope (and pretty much expect) that nothing will come of those plans, I very much like the Palace of Culture, every time I see it appearing on the horizon I know I'm nearly home.
Ziemowit 14 | 4,278
26 Jul 2013 #13
The current plan is to build skyscrapers around in order to hide it.

There has been many plans to build something (not only sacysrapers) around the Palace of Culture and I 'm sure there will be a lot more in the coming years with no real development taking place.

It is worth noting that the Russian architect Rudniev had originally planned it to be much less higher. These were the Polish comrades of the former Communist party who had it built as high as it is now.

It is also worth noting that the idea of such a building in Warsaw followed the idea of Moscow's buildings of the same kind (of whom there are seven, if I'm not mistaken) which in turn were inspired by New York's skyscrapers. Plus the architecture of the Palace has been inspired by some elements of Polish architecture. We may then say that the Palace of Culture is in a way as Polish as it is Russian and American.
sobieski 106 | 2,118
26 Jul 2013 #14
That's been the plan for at least the last decade and a half.

Besides of this, the clock on top is very practical :)
But Plac Defilad is a disgrace and something should be done about that.
ShawnH 8 | 1,497
26 Jul 2013 #15
I like the way it stands out on the horizon while flying in to WAW. I think it would be a shame to get rid of it or attempt to understate it. So many good things could be derived from it in it's current form if it was to be used as an iconic / historic structure.
rybnik 18 | 1,454
26 Jul 2013 #16
The current plan is to build skyscrapers around in order to hide it.

dumb idea

I think it looks pretty cool, would be a shame to destroy it

agree!
ShawnH 8 | 1,497
26 Jul 2013 #17
In a sense, it is as Iconic to Warsaw as is the Chrysler building in New York, architecturally speaking.
f stop 25 | 2,507
26 Jul 2013 #18
If you're going to keep any monuments to the communist era (and I think we should), I think pekin is a excellent one to keep.

It has an interesting architecture, it is being utilized, and there are sufficient numbers of skyscrapers all around to pay homage to the current era already.
4 eigner 2 | 831
26 Jul 2013 #19
Demolish the Palace of Culture?

well, let Poles (who live in Poland) decide it. They have to live with their past and they need to know what's good for them and what's not. If I lived in Poland back then (1945-1989), I'd most likely hate it too.
sofijufka 2 | 187
26 Jul 2013 #20
Hmmm.... after Piskorski installed a clock faces on it - i like it more. I'm living on Żelazna street so I could see it from my window
xzqbq7 2 | 100
26 Jul 2013 #21
If I lived in Poland back then (1945-1989), I'd most likely hate it too.

I did. And I hate it. It must be at least changed on the outside and the top taken off. It will happen sooner later than later.
f stop 25 | 2,507
26 Jul 2013 #22
There are great many historical buildings, monuments, pyramids and walls that were built during the time of oppression. If we destroyed all the reminders of the bad times, we'd have no history left to see.
OP Polonius3 994 | 12,367
26 Jul 2013 #23
After World War One, a huge Russian Orthodox Church in Warsaw, regarded as an symbol of 123 years of alien tsarist domination over Catholic Poland, was dismantlred brick by brick until not a trace of it remained.
mafketis 36 | 10,694
26 Jul 2013 #24
Sickening, and not very Christian. Any catholic involved should have felt deeply ashamed.
OP Polonius3 994 | 12,367
26 Jul 2013 #25
Here is an update on Rzepa's ongoing survey:

Nic, zostawić tak, jak jest (Głosy:851)
Budynku nie ruszać, ale zmienić jego otoczenie, żeby tak nie rzucał się w oczy (Głosy:447)
Zburzyć (Głosy:573)
Nie obchodzi mnie to (Głosy:115)
Nie wiem, o co chodzi (Głosy:59)
delphiandomine 88 | 18,163
26 Jul 2013 #26
It will happen sooner later than later.

Except it won't, because a clear plurality of people are against touching it.

After World War One, a huge Russian Orthodox Church in Warsaw.

Yes, a very Christian to do - destroying others places of worship. It wasn't the only case as well, as Orthodox churches were destroyed throughout Poland then - and yet another black mark in the history of the II RP.
xzqbq7 2 | 100
26 Jul 2013 #27
destroying others places of worship

You seriously implying that this church was just that, a church? There was no partition of Poland, there was no ethnic cleansing of Poles, they were not forced to serve in occupier armed forces for 30 years, there was no persecution against Catholic Church, nothing like this happened, right? Only some orthodox people came to Warsaw and built a place of worship for themselves and fascist Poles destroyed it.

Do you think we are all that stupid?
delphiandomine 88 | 18,163
26 Jul 2013 #28
You seriously implying that this church was just that, a church?

I'm telling you that destroying a fellow Christian church in the name of petty nationalism is pathetic and that anyone that took part in it should have been ashamed.

There was no partition of Poland, there was no ethnic cleansing of Poles, they were not forced to serve in occupier armed forces for 30 years, there was no persecution against Catholic Church, nothing like this happened, right?

What has that got to do with the destruction of a place of worship?

Only some orthodox people came to Warsaw and built a place of worship for themselves and fascist Poles destroyed it.

It's pretty fascist to destroy religious structures that you don't agree with, yes.

Do you think we are all that stupid?

The II RP was littered with stupid acts. What's new?
xzqbq7 2 | 100
27 Jul 2013 #29
What has that got to do with the destruction of a place of worship?

If your definition of good is whatever suits you, and bad is whatever doesn't, then it has nothing to do with it.
Anyway, I think you agree it's pointless to talk.
delphiandomine 88 | 18,163
27 Jul 2013 #30
If your definition of good is whatever suits you, and bad is whatever doesn't, then it has nothing to do with it.

My definition of bad is the wilful destruction of places of worship for nationalistic reasons.


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