Palace of Culture

Now, everyone is allowed one error of judgement on holiday. Mine was to make everyone walk about three miles to see the Monument to the Warsaw Ghetto. I am not for one minute suggesting that it is not worth seeing - it is - but plan your route carefully. It may look like walking distance from the town centre on the map, but it's not.

We also went to see the Umschlagplatz - the square from which over 300,000 Jews were deported. It is a little hard to know what to say without sounding trite. Unlike the Old Town, this part of Warsaw was not reconstructed in its original style, so is full of Eastern European style apartment blocks. It is, therefore, quite hard to get a sense of the area, which is a real shame. There has to be a better way to remember, or to try and get a sense of what went on here.

This particular building is the Palace of Culture and Sport - and lies just outside where the boundary to the Ghetto lie. I have to admit to an unashamed fondness for Soviet style architecure - you may feel less enthralled if you have this looming over you every day.