Warsaw opens a new modern art museum as it tries to leave Poland's communist legacy behind

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — A modern art museum designed by American architect Thomas Phifer opens its doors in the Polish capital Friday — a minimalist, light-filled structure that is meant to be a symbol of openness and tolerance as the city tries to free itself from its communist legacy.

The Museum of Modern Art in Warsaw sits like a bright white box on a major city street. Inside, a monumental staircase with geometric lines rises to upper floors, where large windows flood the gallery rooms with light.

City and museum officials say the light and open spaces are meant to attract meetings and debate — and become a symbol of the democratic era that Poland embraced when it threw off authoritarian communist rule 35 years ago.

Warsaw Mayor Rafał Trzaskowski said the museum's opening is a “historic moment for Warsaw" and that the project, which will later include a theater, will help to create a new city center no longer dominated by a communist symbol.

“This place will change beyond recognition, it will be a completely new center,” he said Thursday. “There has not been a place like this in Warsaw for decades, a place that would be created from scratch precisely to promote Polish art, which is spectacular in itself."

Warsaw was turned to rubble by occupying German forces during World War II and was rebuilt in the gray, sometimes drab, style of communist regimes across Eastern Europe. But years of economic growth in the post-communist era have produced modern glass architecture, cutting-edge museums and revitalized historic buildings.

The museum was built on the site of a former parking lot near the Palace of Culture and Science, a dominating Stalinist skyscraper. Though long hated by many who saw in it as a symbol of Moscow's oppression, the ornate palace remains an icon of the city today — perhaps even the city's most recognized building.

The museum responds with its bright white minimalism and smaller scale.

“It is very important that this building is located opposite the Palace of Culture and Science and symbolically changes the center,” museum director Joanna Mytkowska said. “This is a building dedicated to open, equal and democratic culture.”

American and other Western architects are putting their mark on Warsaw. The city skyline includes a soaring luxury tower created by Daniel Libeskind, the renowned Polish American architect. The firm of British designer Norman Foster created the Varso Tower, which at 310 meters (1,017 feet) is the tallest skyscraper in the European Union. A Finnish architectural team designed the city's landmark Jewish history museum.

Phifer's New York-based practice is known in the United States for projects including the North Carolina Museum of Art, the Corning Museum of Glass and the Glenstone Museum expansion in Potomac, Maryland.

Asked by a reporter if he viewed the Warsaw museum as his masterpiece, the 71-year-old did not hesitate with his answer. “Of course,” he said.

He said from the time he began working on the museum 10 years ago, he was aware that his work was part of Warsaw's “remarkable renaissance.”

The city financed the 700,000 million zloty ($175 million) project. In the first weeks it will hold performances and present several large-scale sculptures and installation pieces by female artists, including Magdalena Abakanowicz, Alina Szapocznikow, Sandra Mujinga and Cecilia Vicuña. The full opening with its larger collection is scheduled for February.

The area around the building is still under construction and will eventually become what the architect calls a “forum space,” including a garden and a theater with a black facade, also designed by Phifer.

Not everyone loves the new museum's austerity, and some residents have compared it to a concrete bunker.

Phifer said he believes the critics will feel differently when they enter the building and see its design and how the white background gives space for the art “to come alive.”

“The museum is what I would call a magic box. There is a bit of mystery to it,” he said. “You don't really understand this work until you come inside and experience it with the art."

Trzaskowski, the mayor, said all ambitious architectural projects are bound to stir up emotions.

“Every large project that has been built from scratch in the world, such as the Pompidou Centre in Paris, the Guggenheim in Bilbao or the pyramid in the Louvre, has stirred up controversy,” Trzaskowski said. The real controversies, he added, are yet to come when the avant-garde museum starts staging its exhibitions.

People look out of the window of the Museum of Modern Art in Warsaw, Poland, on Thursday Oct. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski)

The Museum of Modern Art in the Polish capital is seen on Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024, in Warsaw, Poland. (AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski)

American architect Thomas Phifer speaks to reporters in the new Museum of Modern Art in Warsaw, Poland, on Thursday Oct. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski)

The Stalinist-era Palace of Culture and Science is seen in the background with part of the Museum of Modern Art in Warsaw, Poland, seen in the foreground on Thursday Oct. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski)

A man photographs a sculpture in the Museum of Modern Art in Warsaw, Poland, on Thursday Oct. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski)

The Museum of Modern Art in the Polish capital is seen on Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024, in Warsaw, Poland. (AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski)

The Museum of Modern Art in the Polish capital is seen on Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024, in Warsaw, Poland. (AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski)

American architect Thomas Phifer speaks to reporters in the new Museum of Modern Art in Warsaw, Poland, on Thursday Oct. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski)

People look out of the window of the Museum of Modern Art in Warsaw, Poland, on Thursday Oct. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski)

The Museum of Modern Art in the Polish capital is seen on Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024, in Warsaw, Poland. (AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski)

American architect Thomas Phifer speaks to reporters in the new Museum of Modern Art in Warsaw, Poland, on Thursday Oct. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski)

Construction continues around the Museum of Modern Art in Warsaw, Poland, on Thursday Oct. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski)

The Museum of Modern Art in the Polish capital is seen on Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024, in Warsaw, Poland. (AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski)

People look out of the window of the Museum of Modern Art in Warsaw, Poland, on Thursday Oct. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski)

The Museum of Modern Art in the Polish capital is seen on Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024, in Warsaw, Poland. (AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski)

The Museum of Modern Art in the Polish capital is seen on Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024, in Warsaw, Poland. (AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski)

People walks near the around the Museum of Modern Art in Warsaw, Poland, on Thursday Oct. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski)

Travelers who waited until the last day to make their Thanksgiving holiday treks need to be prepared for busy highways and the most crowded day yet this week at the nation's airports.

The Transportation Security Administration expected to screen 2.9 million people on Wednesday and more than 3 million Sunday, when many holiday revelers plan to return home.

Air travelers had reason to give thanks — only a couple dozen U.S. flights had been canceled by late morning on the East Coast, according to FlightAware.

However, more than 1,000 flights were running late, reflecting the tendency toward tardiness that is becoming normal at U.S. airlines. Airlines were averaging more than 4,500 late flights per day since last weekend, and Wednesday's count was likely to approach or surpass that number by nightfall.

Wednesday afternoon was expected to be the worst time to travel by car, according to forecasters. Drivers headed out of town will be mixing with commuters unlucky enough to be working on the day before the holiday.

Accidents compounded the heavy traffic. A dump truck that struck a bridge over Interstate 95 in Delaware closed the highway for several hours, according to the Delaware Department of Transportation.

An Arctic blast in the Midwest and wet weather in the Eastern U.S. could disrupt travel over the next several days.

From Wednesday into early Thursday, mixed precipitation was expected to stretch from northern Arizona through the Plains and upper Midwest into Pennsylvania, New York and parts of New England, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. A chilly, sloppy mix was expected to linger into Saturday in parts of the Northeast.

Forecasters expect clear weather over most of the western two-thirds of the country on Thursday and Friday, but rain and possibly thunderstorms are predicted for the Southeast, which could raise the risk of flight disruptions.

Auto club and insurance company AAA predicted that nearly 80 million Americans would venture at least 50 miles from home between Tuesday and next Monday, with most of them will traveling by car.

Drivers should get a slight break on gas prices. The nationwide average price for gasoline was $3.07 a gallon on Wednesday, down from $3.25 at this time last year.

Airfares, however, are about 4.1% higher than they were a year ago, according to government figures.

The Transportation Security Administration expected to screen 18.3 million people at U.S. airports during the same seven-day stretch. That would be 6% more than during the corresponding days last year but fit a pattern set throughout 2024.

The TSA expects the biggest crowd on Sunday, which could break the record of 3.01 million set on the Sunday after the July Fourth holiday.

TSA Administrator David Pekoske said his agency is ready, with its highest staffing ever, but an ongoing shortage of air traffic controllers at the Federal Aviation Administration could cause flight delays.

FAA Administration Administrator Mike Whitaker said last week that his agency likely will use special measures to deal with shortages at some facilities.

“If we are short on staff, we will slow traffic as needed to keep the system safe,” he said.

In the last two years, similar measures have slowed down flights in New York City and Florida.

The FAA has long struggled with a shortage of controllers that airline officials expect will last for years, despite the agency's lofty hiring goals.

TSA says it’s OK to bring turkey, stuffing and other favorite holiday foods through airport checkpoints, although liquids such as gravy and cranberry sauce can’t exceed 3.4 ounces.

Just because you can carry it on the plane doesn’t mean you should.

“Especially when it comes to gravy, I wouldn’t want that in my carry-on luggage, and I definitely wouldn’t want it in my checked baggage,” TSA spokesperson Lorie Dankers said.

Thanksgiving brings out infrequent flyers, and they often have questions about what they can bring on the plane. The TSA app and website have lists of items that are banned or restricted.

Wednesday afternoon was expected to be the worst time to travel by car before Thanksgiving, but it will be smooth sailing on highways Thursday, according to transportation analytics company INRIX.

On the return trip, the least-congested times to drive will be before 1 p.m. Sunday and before 8 a.m. or after 7 p.m. Monday, the company said.

In metropolitan areas like Boston, Los Angeles, New York, Seattle and Washington, “traffic is expected to be more than double what it typically is on a normal day,” INRIX transportation analyst Bob Pishue said.

Kathy McCormack in Concord, New Hampshire, Sean Murphy in Oklahoma City and Mike Householder in Romulus, Michigan, contributed to this report.

Travelers wait for their ride at O'Hare International Airport in Chicago, Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

Travelers walk through Terminal 3 at O'Hare International Airport in Chicago, Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

Travelers rush to their gate at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2024, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Olivia Bowdoin)

Travelers move through the B Concourse at the Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2024, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

Travelers check their tickets at O'Hare International Airport in Chicago, Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

A Delta Airlines flight departs Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2024, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

Delta Airlines planes are loaded along the B Concourse at the Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2024, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

Passengers wait to check-in at Miami International Airport, Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2024, in Miami. (AP Photo/Marta Lavandier)

A traveler walks to his gate at Miami International Airport, Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2024, in Miami. (AP Photo/Marta Lavandier)

Passengers wait to check-in at Miami International Airport, Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2024, in Miami. (AP Photo/Marta Lavandier)

Travelers walk through Terminal 3 at O'Hare International Airport in Chicago, Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

Travelers wait to be wheeled to their gates at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2024, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Olivia Bowdoin)

Travelers walk through Terminal 3 at O'Hare International Airport in Chicago, Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

Travelers pull suitcases as they walk toward a terminal, Monday, Nov. 25, 2024, at Boston Logan International Airport, in Boston. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)

Travelers wait at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, Friday, Nov. 22, 2024, in Atlanta, as the Thanksgiving travel season kicks off. (John Spink/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP)

Travelers prepare to board aircraft near a holiday decoration, top, Monday, Nov. 25, 2024, at Boston Logan International Airport, in Boston. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)

FILE - As the Thanksgiving holiday approaches, travelers walk through Reagan Washington National Airport in Arlington, Va., on Nov. 22, 2023. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File)

FILE - In this photo made with a long exposure, motor vehicles move along Interstate 76 ahead of the Thanksgiving Day holiday in Philadelphia, Nov. 22, 2023. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)