Stalin's Gift

The Soviet Palace of Culture is still an iconic (if unloved) Warsaw landmark and sits against an ever modernising cityscape.

As the following blog has it:

Don't let the name fool you - this is not the cultural hub of Warsaw. That said, however long you're in the city for this is a must-see to experience Soviet Warsaw. For all the aggressive westernisation that has overcome Warsaw, the four decades of communism have yet to be completely erased from the face of Warsaw.. You couldn't miss this hulking giant of a landmark if you tried. Soaring 231 metres into the sky the building remains the tallest in Poland, in spite of recent competition from its highrise neighbours.

Originally commissioned by Stalin as a 'gift from the Soviet people' the structure actually takes its inspiration from the capitalist world, namely the Empire State Building, but, believe it or not, was specifically designed to include influences from all of Poland's architectural styles. Stalin had sent a secret delegation to New York to learn both about the building and American construction methods, though the outbreak of WWII meant that it wasn't until 1952 that his architects were able to commence putting their knowledge into practice. Lev Rudynev, the brains behind the equally monstrous Lomonosov University in Moscow, was put in charge of the design and set about making the building into one of the most notorious examples of Socialist Realist architecture in the world. Over 5,000 workers were ferried in from the Soviet states and housed in a purpose-built village in Jelonki, west Warsaw, where they were effectively cut off from the outside world. Working around the clock, it took them just three years to complete the Palace. In all 16 died during the construction, though despite the Olympian efforts of the labourers Stalin never lived to see his pet project completed