Implosion of Stalin-era Polish palace would set new world implosion record.
It’s difficult to get a handle on who actually holds the record for the world’s tallest building (ie, not mast or chminey) implosion. Depending who you ask, which website you consult or the method of measurement used, that record goes to Demolition Dynamics for its implosion of the 116 metre Landmark Tower in Fort Worth or CDI for its felling of the 133 metre high JL Hudson department store.
What is clear, however, is that this record will fall in spectacular fashion if the explosive demolition of the Polish Palace of Culture and Science goes ahead as planned.
At 230 metres and 44 storey in height, the Joseph Stalin Palace of Culture and Science was built between 1952 and 1955 as a “gift” from the Soviet Union, mirroring designs seen in Moscow and other cities. The reference to Stalin was removed in the wake of de-stalinisation, following the Soviet leader’s death in 1953.
However, there are now calls for this giant monolith to be the subject of a symbolic demolition to demonstrate a departure from its Cold War heritage and to save Polish taxpayers millions of dollars in energy and maintenance costs.
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