FIFTY YEARS OF TAMING THE PALACE OF CULTURE

At 4 p.m. on 22 July 1955, the Palace of Culture named after Joseph Stalin was officially opened and presented to the Polish people.This year's fiftieth anniversary of that event inspires discussions about the attempts to tame the Palace over the years - first by the communist authorities who propagated the image of Palace as a symbol of friendship among nations and by dressing it in mock Polish details. Then, it was tamed by being covered and finally by culture which blossomed inside. The Palace, however, was tamed most intensely during the last 15 years in free Poland when the city authorities, Palace management and private citizens expressed their wish to do something with Palace. The process of exorcism was successfully initiated by the Millennium Clock, new multi-hall cinema, remodelled coffee shop 'Trzydziestka' (Thirty), skate ring, basketball courts and outdoor events around it.