The Palace of Culture and Science (Pałac Kultury i Nauki, PKiN, formerly known as Joseph Stalin Palace of Culture and Science - Pałac Kultury i Nauki im. Józefa Stalina) - the tallest building in Poland, located at the Warsaw centre at Warsaw Parade Square (Plac Defilad).  Height:  230,68 m with antenna spire, 42 floors, and over 3000 rooms.

PKiN was erected as "a gift from the Soviet Union to the people of Poland", and an originator of the construction was Jospeh Stalin. A designer of the skyscraper was Soviet architect, Lev Rudnev, who wanted it to be of Polish style; therefore, he travelled around the country, and visited different cities; among others,  Kraków, Chełm, Zamość, in order to gather necessary information and get to know Polish architecture. The architecture was also inspired by Chicago and Moscow buildings; it is a mix of Art Deco, socialist realism, and Polish historicism.

The building was erected between 2^nd May 1952 and 22^nd July 1955, and this construction involved approximately 3500 Soviet workers. During the construction, due to work accidents, 16 Russian people died.  During preparation of area of construction works, the remains of 190 tenement houses of approximately 1000 flats were demolished or pulled down. Even before the construction was finished, two days after death of Joseph Stalin, on 7^th March 1953,  by the joint resolution of the Council of State and the Council of Ministers of the People's Republic of Poland, the building was called Pałac Kultury i Nauki imienia Józefa Stalina. The resolution was signed by Bolesław Bierut (President of the Council of Ministers) and Aleksander Zawadzki (President of the Council of State).

In 1956, the series of suicide jumps from the observation deck on the 30^th floor at 114 metres started -  the first who jumped was a French man, and seven Polish men followed him later. After those incidents, it was decided to bar the observation deck.  In the New Year's Eve 2000, the second highest clock in Europe was unveiled -  each of its face has got six meter diameter.  Simultaneously, it is the second highest location of a tower clock in the world (right after NTT DoCoMo Yoyogi Building clock in Tokyo). The clock was sponsored by Telekomunikacja Polska SA.

Different exhibitions and fairs have been organized here; among others, since 1958 International Book Fairs. The building has got a show and conference hall (the so-called Congress Hall - Sala Kongresowa), Museum of Technology, Museum of Evolution of Polish Academy of Science, as well as, Palace of the Youth (Pałac Młodzieży) with a pool.

Before the main entrance  (from ul. Marszałkowskiej) there are two sculptures: of Adam Mickiewicz created by Stanisław Horno-Popławskiego and of Mikołaj Kopernik created by Ludwika Nitschowa.