Skeletor To Be Made Flesh At Last
Cracow's tallest building - or rather construction site - is finally on the brink of rebirth. Dubbed "Szkieletor" after the bony villain in cult cartoon He-Man, the abandoned shell shoots some 93 metres into the sky.
Construction on the tower began in 1975 but ground to a halt six years later, mirroring the economic and political crisis of the communist regime.
Since the fall of the Iron Curtain, numerous concepts have been bandied about for the building, but little progress was made. However, all that changed in 2005 with the arrival of Verity Development, which won a tender for the building late that year.
After much to-ing and fro-ing with Krakow's conservators, a final design has now been approved. The peak of the tower will resemble a cross between London's "Gherkin" and New York's Chrysler building. A hotel is planned for the lower portion of the building, complemented by prestige apartments and offices. A restaurant will crown the top floor, commanding jaw-dropping views over the city.