Warsaw was the only capital behind the Iron Curtain that did not commit to the construction of a Joseph's Stalin monument after the Second World War. Nevertheless, this does not mean that no attempt was made to erect a sculpture of Generalissimus. The paper describes the history of memory and the transition from the need to commemorate to the complete oblivion induced by the political situation. On the day of Stalin's death in 1953, the Polish authorities decided to commemorate him. Stalin's name was given to the Palace of Culture and Science which was being built since 1952. The socialist-realist skyscraper which was a "gift" from the Soviet Union to Poland, towered above the destroyed Warsaw. However, according to the Polish Communists it was not enough, therefore in front of the so-called Stalin's Palace, on the Stalin Square, they decided to erect a monument to Stalin. While the story of the Palace of Culture and Science and its neighbouring square is well described in many publications, this paper aims to describe the lesser-known (and also physically smaller) part of commemoration of Stalin – in the form of a monument. The uneasy task of designing it was given to the best Polish sculptors. The sculpture was supposed to show "a leader, a thinker and a friend of Poland". Simultaneously, workers started to build concrete foundation in front of the Palace and artists began to create their proposals. Only one of the projects has survived until this day – a 2-meter-high gypsum casting designed in brutalist style by Xawery Dunikowski, a renewed Polish sculptor. The style of proposed monument was too controversial. The reaction of Bolesław Bierut, General Secretary of the Polish United Workers' Party, quoted in the title of this abstract, expresses his hesitation after seeing the project. The paper is based on archival sources, newspapers, photographs and chronicles. With special focus on the history of memory, it discusses the timeline of the commemoration project and the pace of its evolution: from the solemn promise to unveil the monument to its surprisingly quiet withdrawal. The political situation and the politics of memory were crucial in this case – the need for remembrance was imposed on the society from foreign agency (in this case by Polish and Russian communists). The fact of fading this project and weakening cult of Stalin, might be seen as the beginning of the Polish thaw. It comes as no surprise that the memory of the monument (or the memory of the idea to build it), does not exist among Polish citizens. The Palace of Culture and Science – sometimes treated as a monument to Stalin – gathers all the attention, especially during recurring debates concerning its demolition. The forgotten concrete foundation in front of the Palace (nowadays used as a flower-bed with bushes) and gypsum casting are silent testimonies of an unrealised project.
