Yesterday in Warsaw, Poles marked the 70th anniversary of the Palace of Culture and Science, an unwanted gift from the Soviet Union. During the Cold War, the building “towered over the city in brute, dulled, gloating majesty” (from Falling into Place: A Story of Love, Poland, and the Making of a Travel Writer). Today, backdropped by taller towers of glass, it has an almost endearing homeliness.
