Pałac Kultury i Nauki

Here's a few pictures of, in my opinion, the most beautiful building in the world - the Palace of Culture and Science in Warsaw. It was given to Poland by the Soviet Union and while there are other palaces similar to this one, the Polish one is the tallest and most elegant with its single dominating spire.
The story goes that the Russians gave us a choice of whether we would like a subway or the palace. I think we made the right choice, we've built the Metro on our own, but a palace like this one and in this style will never be built again. My favorite thing about the building, besides the layout and general structure, which is so much more interesting than the American sky scraper, is the attention to detail. Every part of the building, inside and out, is adorned in some way. Not richly, but simply and geometrically. I think the Russians had a real ideological problem on how to make something beautiful, but not opulent in the times of reaction against the bourgeois. There is no gold in the ornaments, but a lot of gray and dark gray marble and dark wood inside laid out in geometric designs. Another cool thing about the palace is this little cafe called "Kulturalna," or the cultured one. The inside has kept its original styling with a dark wood bar made to look "modern" in the 50's. You can take your drinks outside and hang out on a balcony looking out on the night lights of Warsaw.