THE BEST OF THE NEW EAST
If lost in Warsaw, look out for the Palace of Culture and Science. Visible from everywhere in the city, this Socialist-realist skyscraper will remind you where you are, not only in space but also in time. That’s because Warsaw’s tallest building (237 metres) is possibly the least Polish in character. Built in 1955 as a ‘gift of the Soviet people for the Poles’, it symbolises everything Poland would like to forget. Nevertheless, it’s part of history. Many frequent its theatres, cinema, museums and pubs; an observation deck at 114 metres provides an impressive panorama of the city.
The boulevards around the Palace of Culture are broad and lined with fashionable boutiques. Leaves swirl in spaces between old apartment blocks, where grandmothers tend children in communal gardens. Small shops and eateries ply their trade in empty lots. Sushi restaurants are in vogue. A beauty salon declares ‘Time For Wax’. A man walks past with two ring-tailed coatimundis (racoons) on a leash. The Złote Tarasy (Golden Dome) shopping centre, with its wavy glass roof, offers every modern convenience. From a distance, depending on the wind, comes
