The Soviet Union offered the Palace of Culture and Science to Poland as a gift, under an agreement signed on April 5, 1952. It was dedicated to Joseph Stalin on completion. Construction ran from May 1952 to July 22, 1955, with an estimated 3,500 to 5,000 Soviet and 4,000 Polish workers, and 16 of them died in accidents.
Lev Rudnev designed it in the Stalinist Seven Sisters style. He drew on Polish Renaissance details, such as parapets modeled on Kraków and Zamość palaces, and on American Art Deco high-rises. It is 778 feet (237 m) tall with its spire, with 42 floors and 3,288 rooms. The observation terrace on the 30th floor is at 374 feet (114 m).
It was the eighth-tallest building in the world at completion. Its Congress Hall seats 3,000, and tenants include theatres, museums, universities and city offices. Stalin's name was removed during destalinization, and demolition has been debated since.
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