# Palace of Culture and Science (1955)

URL: https://poland-history.com/timeline/1955-palace-of-culture-and-science
Location: Warsaw

The Palace of Culture and Science, a 'gift of the Soviet people' in Stalinist style, was completed in the centre of Warsaw and remains the city's most controversial landmark. Within the broader People'S Republic period: Shifted westward and placed under communist rule, Poland rebuilt from the war but repeatedly rose against the regime, until the Solidarity movement forced a negotiated transition in 1989. At this point in the timeline (1955), the governing authority was Aleksander Zawadzki (Chairman of the Council of State). First chairman of the collective head of state created by the 1952 constitution. Palace of Culture and Science mattered because it left a lasting monument of Poland's cultural and political history. The event is placed here so readers can follow it alongside changes in government, warfare, society, religion and culture across Polish history.

## Why it matters
Palace of Culture and Science mattered because it left a lasting monument of Poland's cultural and political history.

Ruler at the time: [August Zaleski](https://poland-history.com/rulers/august-zaleski)

## Sources
- [Wikipedia — Palace of Culture and Science](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palace_of_Culture_and_Science)
- [Encyclopaedia Britannica topic lookup — Palace of Culture and Science](https://www.britannica.com/search?query=Palace+of+Culture+and+Science)
- [Wikipedia — Polish People's Republic (period overview)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polish_People's_Republic)