PAST, Historic skyscraper in Warsaw, Poland
PAST is a building with historicist architecture in central Warsaw that rises to 51.5 meters (169 feet) and was constructed with reinforced concrete. Its eight floors feature a mix of Gothic and Romanesque elements in an eclectic facade design that gives the structure its distinctive character.
It opened in 1908 as the first major telephone exchange in Warsaw and was at the time among the tallest structures in Europe. In August 1944 Polish resistance fighters captured it from German troops after 20 days of fighting during the Warsaw Uprising.
The lettering on the facade recalls its original role as a telephone exchange that connected Warsaw with the rest of Poland. Today the building houses exhibition spaces dedicated to the Warsaw Uprising fighters and the Kotwica symbol glows above the city at night from the rooftop.
Access to the office areas is limited to business weekdays while the exhibition spaces are accessible depending on events. The building is centrally located and easy to reach on foot from surrounding streets and squares.
When completed it was considered the first skyscraper in Poland and briefly ranked among the tallest buildings in Europe. The Kotwica symbol of the Home Army glows at night from the rooftop and became a symbol of resistance since the uprising.
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