WARSAW (Poland, April 2004) The Palace of Culture and Science is a huge concrete neo-gothic block adjacent to Warsaw Central Station, which has a unique beauty of its own. It was a controversial gift from the Soviet leader Joseph Stalin to the people of Warsaw in Poland, which, at the time (the 1950s), was a satellite state of the USSR. Initially the building was called “Stalin’s Palace” until it was renamed in the late 1950s. It currently serves as an exhibiton center and as an office park. The terrace on the 35th floor is a well-known tourist attraction giving a nice view of the city. The love-hate relationship of the native Varsovians with this building reflect the ambivalence of their relationship with their own recent history.