And after 70 years, the skyscraper "gifted" by Stalin to Warsaw stirs emotions, writes Reuters

Warsaw - The impressive skyscraper in the heart of the Polish capital, the Palace of Culture and Science, still evokes strong feelings among Poles, even seventy years after it was "gifted" to Warsaw by the Soviet dictator Josef Stalin, writes Reuters.

The palace, which today marks 70 years since its official opening, when Poland was part of the Soviet-controlled Eastern Bloc, was conceived by Stalin as a symbol of Soviet dominance and originally bore his name.

"If you place a large palace in the middle of the city, a skyscraper by the standards of that time, which is visible from 30 kilometers away, it shows your power," said Dorota Zmarzlak of the palace's board. Younger people do not perceive it that way anymore, she added.

After the end of the communist regime in 1989, Poles removed many monuments from the Soviet era and renamed many streets.

The palace remained, even though prominent politician Radoslaw Sikorski, who is now Poland's foreign minister, called for its demolition in 2007.

The palace has served as a concert hall and venue for political events, exhibitions, and fashion shows. Singers Andrea Bocelli and José Carreras have performed there. When the Rolling Stones played here in 1967, long before the end of communism, riots broke out.

"It was an escape for me, I could go somewhere," said eighty-nine-year-old Zygmunt Kowalski, a retired railway worker. A month after the palace opened, he moved to Warsaw and would go swimming in its pool with his daughter, as well as watch movies and concerts there. "Everything can be demolished, but let it remain for future generations as proof of what once was. The next generations will realize that communism was here," he added.

The palace still has four theaters, a large cinema, museums, and hosts exhibitions. The concert hall is being renovated.

Some younger residents of Warsaw focus more on the palace as a Warsaw landmark rather than its political past. The palace, now surrounded by modern skyscrapers, is, according to twenty-three-year-old student Karol Los, inseparably linked to the city's identity. "For me, it is a symbol of Warsaw. I think young people see it completely differently than the older generation," he said.

Thirty-two-year-old Ukrainian architect Valerij Shcherbak admires the architectural details of the palace as well as how popular it is with tourists. "This is history, and we must respect it," he said, noting that many buildings from the Soviet era have been destroyed in Ukraine. "What happened in the past should be preserved, not destroyed," he believes.