People aren't falling over to sing the praises of Soviet bloc architecture, but in recent times a number of individual buildings have garnered a certain retro appeal.
The most obvious example is Warsaw's gargantuan Palace of Culture and Science, for many years the most hated building in the capital. A present from 'Uncle Joe' Stalin during the 50's, the palace came close to being knocked down with the advent of democracy in 1989 - most of the Soviet statues bit the dust quicker than you could say Feliks Dzierzynski, head of the former Security Service.
However, the palace endured, and whilst many of the older generation still despise the thing, plenty of younger Varsovians and ex-pats can't help liking the monument. Today the building looks more like a set from a Batman film than a piece of humiliating propaganda.
In Cracow there has been talk of late that another Cold War era building was on the verge of destruction. A distinctly more modest enterprise, the one-time 'Forum Hotel' is a classic 70's structure. This huge building had tiny guestrooms ( Ritzy luxury was not top of the socialist agenda) and due to unworkable space, the current French/Polish owners were apparently considering knocking it down. With such a fine riverside location - not to mention the view over the castle - the notion of starting a new venture from scratch must have seemed like a tempting notion. For years now the thing has been standing empty, and the entire facade is now taken over by an advert for the popular Zywiec beer.
Destruction would certainly be a great shame. The hotel is one of the most distinctive buildings in Cracow. It has the refreshing aura of one of those galactic space stations from the Star Wars films - you feel that it might swing round on its axis and zip off into the unknown at any moment.
Hence with the announcement that the Forum has just been snapped up by a mystery buyer, lovers of the building are eagerly awaiting news of what lies in store.
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