Looking for remnants of the Peoples’ Republic? Then look no further than on the western end of ul. 27 Grudnia. It’s here you’ll be met by the sight of the Okrąglak (Rotunda) building, a cylindrical marvel that has come to be regarded as one of Poznan’s defining icons and which since 2003 has been a listed building. Constructed between 1948 and 1955 the building is a leading example of Polish modernism, and built to a blueprint sketched by Marek Leykam. Originally slated to be ten storeys, this eight floor masterpiece once housed Poznan’s top department store, and it was here during the dark days of communism that locals would queue to find ‘luxury’ products unavailable elsewhere. Today, after years of abject neglect, work is underway to restore the beast to its former glory. Under the guiding hand of JEMS Architecki the building is to be turned into 51,000 square metres of A-class office space and ground floor restaurants, with a completion date marked for April or May. As for Marek Leykam, the brain-box who designed this battlepig, more of his work can be found in the shape of the University of Physical Education in Poznan, as well as in the capital – it was he who designed the Government Office on ul. Wspólna 62, as well as the 10th Anniversary Stadium bulldozed to make way for the brand new National Stadium.