A pretentiously-titled building

The Palace of Culture is the biggest building in Warsaw; it's great for orienting yourself, because you can see it from almost anywhere. It's a relic of "socialist realism", the only style of architecture (and art) officially approved by the communists. The story goes that Stalin asked the people of Warsaw if they wanted a Palace of Culture or a metro system. They said a metro system, so Stalin gave them a Palace of Culture. To be fair, they should have known that Stalin would be all about reverse psychology.

One of the guidebooks referred to it as Gotham-esque, and I think that's pretty accurate. Which isn't to say it's ugly... it's big and blocky, but it's got a certain monumental charm. It does seem vaguely threatening, though.