Above the rain-soaked streets of Warsaw, the observation deck of the Varso tower overlooks Joseph Stalin’s gift to Poland that has divided opinion for decades.
asserted
that → soak → decades
For some, the Soviet-era Palace of Culture and Science is a drunk confectioner’s nightmare; standing as a relic of oppression that should have been demolished.
asserted
that → stand → oppression
For the managers of the Varso – completed four years ago, as the tallest building in the EU – with its 310m-high spire rising symbolically above its Stalinist neighbour, it is a waypoint on Poland’s rapid path to economic prosperity.
asserted
it → complete → prosperity
“We look down on it,” says Cezary Błaszczyk, the managing director of HB Reavis in Poland, which owns the tower, gesturing at the palace opposite.
asserted
which → look → palace
A few months ago a slackline walker traversed the 500m gap between the buildings.
asserted
walker → traverse → buildings
“It was a symbolic walk from the past to the future,” says his colleague Natalia Kasperska.
asserted
colleague → say → future
“Since we are higher and taller than the Palace of Culture, we treat it as: ‘We got over communism, and now we are a country with a strong economy,’” Błaszczyk says.
asserted
Błaszczyk → treat → economy
Over the four decades since regaining its independence from Soviet-dominated rule, Poland has been transformed.
asserted
Poland → regain → rule
Excluding oil-exporting states and financial hubs, incomes have converged with western levels at the fastest rate in the world; from 40% of the EU average in the mid-1990s to 81% last year.
asserted
incomes → exclude → %
National income surpassed $1tn (£755bn) last year, ranking Poland among the world’s 20 largest economies.
asserted
income → surpass → economies
International Monetary Fund projections show income per capita will soon overtake Japan and Spain.
asserted
income → show → Japan
“Four decades ago, we were in – excuse my English – deep, deep shit,” says Marcin Bosacki, the Polish deputy foreign minister.
asserted
Bosacki → excuse → shit
Stirring a cup of tea and lemon in his opulent Warsaw office, he recalls queueing after school in the 1980s for up to five hours to buy butter and meat as the communist government imposed martial law.
asserted
government → stir → law
However, the Gdańsk shipworkers’ Solidarność movement and Pope John Paul II’s 1979 pilgrimage to his home country paved the way for Poland’s transition to democracy in 1990 and an “economic miracle”.
asserted
movement → pave → 1990
Integration with western institutions, including Nato in 1999 and EU accession in 2004, also helped.
asserted
Integration → include → 2004
For years, many Poles chose to emigrate to earn more abroad, in a brain drain accelerated by EU membership.
asserted
Poles → choose → membership
Polish plumbers became shorthand in Britain for foreign labour amid the political battles over EU freedom of movement before the Brexit vote.
asserted
plumbers → become → vote
Now Britons are increasingly likely to have their taps fixed by Romanians and Bulgarians, after a surge in the number of Polish nationals leaving.
asserted
taps → have → nationals
In each year since 2021, when Brexit was enacted after a year-long transition period, twice as many Poles left the UK than arrived.
asserted
Poles → enact → UK
Meanwhile, Germany recorded more non-Germans moving to Poland in 2024 than heading in the opposite direction for the first time on record.
asserted
Germans → record → record
Both moved to London in their 20s to work in the British architecture firm’s head office – where they led the design team behind the tower they now occupy.
asserted
they → move → tower
Gornicki says Poland has changed dramatically in the years he was away.
asserted
he → say → years
He always wanted to return to contribute to the country, and raising a family near his parents in a safe, green city that is more affordable than London also has its plus points.
asserted
that → want → points
Now the pair are working to design Warsaw’s new airport – the biggest greenfield infrastructure project in Europe.
asserted
pair → work → Europe
“You can work globally from one location.
asserted
You → work → location
In London we worked on projects from North America to Asia … right now, we’re doing the same thing, just from Warsaw.”
asserted
we → work → Warsaw
Modern electric trams glide past skyscrapers, there are cranes and construction work, giant advertising boards, and dockless e-scooters.
asserted
trams → glide → skyscrapers
The traditional working-class bar mleczny (milk bars) still do a roaring trade serving beetroot soup and Polish dumplings.
asserted
mleczny → work → soup
But at the oldest, Prasowy, orders are taken on a digital touchscreen.
asserted
orders → take → touchscreen
Once an asphalt desert designed for columns of Soviet tanks, the old Parade Square surrounding the palace has had a green makeover.
asserted
Square → design → makeover
Further development is planned to bolster Warsaw’s bid for the 2040 summer Olympics.
asserted
development → plan → Olympics
Just as the facades of Warsaw’s medieval old town – rebuilt from the rubble of the second world war – conceal 20th-century concrete, Poland’s stellar growth obscures tensions.
asserted
growth → rebuild → tensions
The influx of global capital has driven up living costs, squeezing out poor Varsovians.
asserted
influx → drive → Varsovians
Income inequality is among the highest in Europe, while growing political divisions set the stage for a fractious general election next year.
asserted
divisions → grow → election
Convergence with the west also presents a novel challenge for a country with a reputation as a low-cost hub within the EU.
asserted
Convergence → present → EU
For years Poland’s cheap, skilled workforce attracted companies such as Volkswagen to build cars, Cadbury to make chocolate and banks such as JP Morgan to open global support centres.
asserted
banks → attract → centres
At €19.10 (£16.10) an hour, average labour costs (wages, taxes and other costs) are still half the level of Germany and France, but the gap is closing.
asserted
gap → close → Germany
Since 2004, the average monthly wage has more than tripled in nominal terms to 8,904 złoty (£1,723) last year.
asserted
wage → triple → złoty
The net monthly salary in Warsaw has risen by 120% since 2016, according to Deutsche Bank, lifting it above Rome and Lisbon.
uncertain
salary → rise → Rome
A meal for two in the capital now costs more than in Tokyo and the price of a cappuccino has doubled.
asserted
price → cost → cappuccino
…and 30 more, not listed.
The Aporia
