The Royal Castle in Warsaw

Community Highlights Europe The Royal Castle in Warsaw

After visiting the Saxon Gardens, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and Piłsudski Square, our group reached Krakowskie Przedmieście, the street, where, according to our city guide, it is easy to have your breath taken away by all the beautiful buildings you see. But every once in a while, while strolling towards or away from the Royal Castle, a couple of historical buildings and monuments will catch your eye.

When walking along Krakowskie Przedmieście street, we saw the marble lions and an equestrian statue, when we approached the Presidential Palace. Galeria Kordegarda – the Potocki Palace, a large 18th-century Baroque palace – is opposite the Presidential Palace. The monument to Josef Poniatowski that stands in front of the Presidential Palace has its own history. It was ordered in 1830 and was ready in 1831. However, due to the Russian-Polish war of 1831, it was not installed in Warsaw and was hidden on a private property.

We were impressed by the equestrian statue of Prince Józef Poniatowski that stands proudly in front of the Presidential Palace. Józef Poniatowski serves as the embodiment of what Polishness is made of (heroism, a love of life, and a pinch of scandal). He was the nephew of the last Polish king Stanisław August Poniatowski, so he had the best education and opportunities that court could offer. The prince was fond of his military service and quickly climbed up the ranks, becoming a commander at the age of 26. But his military discipline seemed to evaporate when he had free time. He was constantly mentioned in the local press for his shenanigans (for example, he tried to cross the Vistula River naked and on his horse) and he sent all the young ladies’ hearts aflutter.
Just like the military was his life, it was also his death, because he died in the Battle of Leipzig in 1813, defending the retreat of the French army. Though no one knows for certain, historians generally agree that he was most likely a victim of friendly fire and shot by a French soldier.
Interestingly, Poniatowski’s monument was quite controversial in the beginning. It was in front of the Saxon Palace from 1923 until 1944. People really did not like it because they thought that Poniatowski looked too Roman, and with no armor or uniform on, they called him “the prince in a bedsheet”. The Presidential Palace, in front of which Poniatowski statue is standing, survived the WWII intact, the statue didn’t. What we see now is a replica made by the Danish artists.

The monument to Adam Mickiewicz stands proudly in Warsaw next to the Carmelite Church. It is a bit ironic because he personally hated the city and had never even visited it. Nevertheless, when you hold the title of the National Poet, you are going to have your own statue placed everywhere. Mickiewicz is mostly well-known for his epic poem "Pan Tadeusz" (Sir Thaddeus).

The monument was unveiled on December 24, 1898, on the 100th birthday of the poet. Due to the fact that Warsaw was under Russian rule at the time, the Russian occupation authorities behaved as such and did not want the unveiling of the monument to become a grand thing. In the situation when all of Poland was torn apart by its three neighbors - Prussia, Russia, and Austria - every well-known Pole was considered by the authorities as a possible symbol and an embodiment of natural virtue and patriotism, and the Poles might rally around that symbol and revolt. The Russians forbid any speeches, and the entire unveiling ceremony lasted for 15 minutes with everyone standing around and then walking back to their homes in silence.
We observed the bronze statue of Mickiewicz that stands on the pedestal made of Italian granite. The statue represents Adam Mickiewicz dressed in a frock coat. We see him in a relaxed pose, with his head slightly raised, his lowered left hand supporting a cloak thrown over his shoulder, his right hand is placed on his heart. There is also a cartouche in the upper part of the pedestal. The cartouche contains the dates of birth and death of the poet. In the lower part of the pedestal you can see allegorical decorations in the form of the head of Apollo with seven thin rays emanating from it. There are palm branches above the head of the ancient Greek god, a lyre and paper rolls, and below there is a tablet with the inscription "Adamowi Mickiewiczowi - Rodacy 1898" („To Adam Mickiewicz – from fellow countrymen, 1898)

Walking along this street, we saw two setters - those admirable and rare dogs - whom everybody in our group admired. The dog owners allowed us to take pictures of the dogs and, in the long run, to pet them.

Also on the right-hand side of the road, the Carmelite Church is also known as the Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary and of St. Joseph. The 18th-century neoclassical church is noted for the twin belfries, shaped like censers, and the green globe, representing the earth.

Also on the right-hand side of the road, the Carmelite Church is also known as the Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary and of St. Joseph. The 18th-century neoclassical church is noted for the twin belfries, shaped like censers, and the green globe, representing the earth.

We walked past St. Anne's Church, one of Poland's most notable churches with a Neoclassical facade. The church ranks among Warsaw's oldest buildings. Over time, it has seen many reconstructions, resulting in its present-day appearance, unchanged since 1788.

We saw a memorial plaque dedicated to Pope John Paul II and an inscription with his words: I have been looking for you, and you have now come to me for that I thank you. John Paul II

"The Holy Father John Paul II met with the youth of Poland in this place on June 3, 1979."
The inscription on the facade is in Latin.

It reads, In the year of the restoration of salvation 1788, Stanislaus August Rex, The study of religion, Joseph Kwiecinski built this sacred house and decorated its front.

A 3D bronze map of Krakowskie Przedmieście Street, Warsaw

Royal Castle Square, Warsaw

Royal Castle Square and Sigismund's Column/Castle Inn in Castle Square

According to our city guide, Sigismund's Column is a meeting point for many tourists in Warsaw.

A view of the Royal Castle courtyard, Warsaw

The Royal Castle courtyard, Warsaw

The Royal Castle on the bronze model in Krakowskie Przedmieście Street, Warsaw

Royal Castle
The Royal Castle («Zamek Królewski» in Polish) in Warsaw is a majestic building located in the heart of the Old Town. Construction of the castle began in the 15th century, and it was regularly modernized and rebuilt over the next few centuries. The castle was the place of coronation and residence of many Polish kings, and today is one of the most significant symbols of Poland.

The Royal Castle is home to several museums that allow visitors to learn more about Poland's history and culture. One of the most impressive is the museum Galleria Royalska, which presents a collection of portraits and relics related to the Polish royal family and the history of the monarchy. There is also a Museum of Furniture and Decorative Arts, where you can see examples of Polish furniture and design from different eras.

The Donation Money Box stands right in the middle of the castle courtyard. Unfortunately, the Royal Palace was blown up totally by the Nazis on September 17, 1944. In 2021, the Royal Castle began the celebration of the 50th Anniversary of commencing work on the reconstruction of the royal residence in Warsaw. Reconstruction of the castle was possible thanks to the great the generosity of Polish society. You can see the money box with the Mermaid of Warsaw in the middle of the castle courtyard.

A view of the Royal Castle courtyard, Warsaw

The Marble Room, designed in the years 1640-1642 during the reign of King Władysław IV, fell into disuse until King Stanisław August entrusted its restoration to architect Jakub Fontana. It served as the second ante room leading to the Throne Room, and it was here courtiers of higher rank would gather during formal audiences. The Marble Room formed part of the Royal Apartments.

We liked the image of the Genius on the ceiling of this room.
In 1835, the marble fascia was dismantled by order of Emperor Nicholas I of Russia. The Marble Room did not undergo restoration in the interwar period: the empty interior was only embellished by portraits of Polish monarchs which had been retrieved from Russia in 1922. Fotunately, the paintings lasted through the World War II: they were removed from the bombed Castle in September 1939, during the great fire, and preserved from destruction.

Jakub Fontana was essentially faithful to the original concept of the Marble Room, adding only a coronation portrait of Stanisław August and 22 portraits of Polish monarchs by Marcello Bacciarelli. The allegorical representation of Eternity-Glory on the large ceiling was a result of the combined efforts of Bacciarelli and a Polish painter, Jan Bogumił Plersch. The personifications of Justice and Peace, placed on both the sides of the national emblem of the Polish and Lithuanian Commonwealth, were carved by André Le Brun.
Fortunately, the reclaimed paintings and both the sculptures were returned to their original location during the recent restoration of the Castle, and the plafond underwent thorough restoration. The chimney- piece got back its original central tablet embossed with the Latin initials of King Jan Kazimierz (loannes Casimirus) and with the Waza dynasty Coat of Arms.

The Knights’ Hall
It was Stanisław August himself who, aided by a historian, Adam Naruszewicz, selected the historic figures (national and spiritual leaders, writers and scientists) for commemoration in the form of oil portraits (by Marcello Bacciarelli) and sculptures (by Giacomo Monaldi and André Le Brun). The interior design and decoration have been carefully restored on the basis of pre-war photographs. All the paintings, sculptures and side tables are in place. The numerous elements of the original stucco work can be identified by their darker gold gilt. The contemporary Knights Hall can boast the largest proportion of original elements of the period decoration.

The Parliamentary Chambers in the Royal Castle, Warsaw

The Parliamentary Chambers in the Royal Castle, Warsaw

The Parliamentary Chambers occupy the entire western wing of the Castle. They currently include the New Chamber of Deputies, the Entrance Room and Vestibule, the Deputies' Stairs, the Warta Hall, the Warta Gallery with two adjacent Conference Rooms and the Senators' Hall. Since the times of King Sigismund III (1587-1632), the rooms in this wing have been occupied by offices. The interior design of the Parliament Chambers destroyed after the November Uprising of 1831 was recreated based on iconographic records and historical texts.

The Throne Room

The Throne Room in the Royal Castle in Warsaw

The sword and the Field Marshal's baton of King Stanislaus Augustus /The sceptre of King Stanislaus Augustus, 1790; the Collar of the Order of the White Eagle belonging to King Stanislaus Augustus, 1764

Here, at audiences, Stanisłaus August's most important guests were received - ambassadors and envoys of foreign monarchs and the papal nuncio. The dominant colours of red and gold in the decoration, as well as numerous elements of the interior design symbolise royal power. The interior was designed by a whole team of court artists led by Domenico Merlini in the years 1783-1786. The following have survived from Stanisław August's interior design and furnishings: doors, numerous fragments of wainscoting, recognisable by the darker colour of the gilding, and fireplaces, sculptures, furniture and bronzes made in Rome and Paris.

The throne chair, made in Warsaw according to the design of Johann Christian Kamsetzer, is also original. The silver embroidered eagles from the back of the throne, torn off by Nazi officers in October 1939, have been fully reconstructed. One of the eagles, found in the United States in 1991, was the prototype of the 86 replicas made for the castle.
We found our there was another Throne Room in this palace. It served for big audiences and for special occasions.

The Throne Room in the Royal Castle, Warsaw

The second Throne Room in the Royal Castle, Warsaw

The abbreviation SAR was used to denote the last Polish king - Stanislaus Augustus Rex/Stanislaus August the King.

The King's Dressing-Room in the Royal Palace, Warsaw

The King's Dressing-Room in the Royal Palace, Warsaw

The King's Dressing Room
The paintings on display were painted in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries by artists from various European schools. They were put into gilded frames decorated with cartouches containing Stanislaw August's monogram (they were reconstructed based on the surviving frames from Stanislaw August's gallery).

The King's Bedroom in the Royal Palace, Warsaw

The King's Dining-Room in the Royal Castle, Warsaw

As our guide told us, the king never had his meals alone. Theer was always someone to keep him company: courtiers, petitioners, travelers and others.

The King's Bedchamber
The room belongs to the private, residential part of the King's Apartment. It was designed by Jakub Fontana and Domenico Merlini between 1772 and 1775. Originally the walls were covered with straw-coloured Indian satin, hand painted in floral patterns. Silk wallpaper currently in the room has been modelled on King Stanislaw August's embroidered quilt which can be seen on the royal bed. The preserved pieces of the original yew panels, decorated with laurel twigs made of gilt lead, have been put in their original location. Amongst the original furnishings of the King's Bedchamber are the over-door paintings by Marcello Bacciarelli Rebecca and Eleazar, and Esther and Ahasverus. The bed has been reconstructed on the basis of the available descriptions.
The king had also his own chapel inside the castle. The Royal Chapel contains the heart of the national hero Tadeusz Kosciuszko. It is kept in the black box on the left side of the chapel altar.

The Royal Chapel in the Royal Castle, Warsaw

The Royal Chapel with the black box containing the heart of Tadeusz Kosciuszko, the Royal Castle, Warsaw

Canaletto Room in the Royal Castle, Warsaw

The Old Audience Chamber
Designed by the court architect Domenico Merlini the room was used for audiences until the Throne Room was ready. The paintings above the doors by Marcello Bacciarelli are artistic representations of four royal virtues: Fortitude, Prudence, Faith, and Justice. It was also Bacciarelli who painted the ceiling allegory depicting the Flourishing of Arts, Sciences, Agriculture and Trade during the reign of Stanisław August (nowadays reconstructed), intended by the King as his political and economic manifesto. Some of King Stanisław August's regalia (the sceptre, the chain of the Order of the White Eagle, and the ceremonial sword made for his coronation) are displayed on the consoles flanking the royal throne.

The Wettin Gallery in the Royal Castle, Warsaw

The Wettin Gallery has been restored to its state from the 1740s, when the entire west wing of the Castle was eventually dedicated to parliamentary purposes. It was a part of the enfilade of rooms connecting two chambers of the parliament of the Republic - the Sejm and Senate. Following the November Uprising, in 1831, the Russians liquidated the parliament, with both chambers being divided with ceilings. The northern part of the wing, including the Wettin Gallery, was intended for the army stationed here. After Poland regained independence in 1918, the rooms were converted into banquet rooms for the guests of the presidents of the Republic of Poland.
Nowadays, the Gallery exhibits portraits of Saxon prince-electors, members of the House of Wettin, including two Kings of Poland, Augustus II (1697-1733) and Augustus III (1733-1763), as well as the 1807-1815 Duke of Warsaw Frederick Augustus. As our guide explained, Augustus II and Augustus III reigned during the Golden Age with no wars and suffering and thus were beloved by the entire nation.

Nowadays, the Gallery exhibits portraits of Saxon prince-electors, members of the House of Wettin, including two Kings of Poland, Augustus II (1697-1733) and Augustus III (1733-1763), as well as the 1807-1815 Duke of Warsaw Frederick Augustus.

The Apartment of Prince Stanislaus
The Apartment comprises four rooms including the Four Seasons Gallery, the adjacent Antechamber, the Drawing Room, and the Study. It was originally intended for the King's nephew, Prince Stanisław Poniatowski, the Grand Treasurer of Lithuania. In the days of the Duchy of Warsaw (1807-1815) it was occupied by Maria Augusta, the daughter of Frederick August, King of Saxony and Prince of the Duchy of Warsaw. Later on, the rooms became part of the apartment of the Russian viceroys and governors-general for the Congress Poland. In the years 1926-1939, this apartment was used by Ignacy Mościcki, the President of the Republic of Poland, who had his study and his audience room here. As nothing has remained of the original interior furnishing in this part of the Castle, the walls have been furnished with Rococo panelling dating from the middle of the 18th century, removed from the Czartoryski / Tarnowski Family's palace in Krakowskie Przedmieście, which was demolished at the end of the 19th century.

We liked the room with numerous paintings of Jan Matejko, the famous Polish painter. As our guide explained, the painter did not merely represent this or that event, but wanted the viewer to meditate about the fate of the country. It seems that the painter himself wonders how such a huge and mighty European country as the Polish-Lihuanian Commonwealth disintegrated within one century.

The pantings of Jan Matejko in the Royal Palace, Warsaw

The old map of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth in the Royal Castle, Warsaw

Our group after the castle visit, Warsaw

Be careful_Godzilla is nearby, Warsaw

Some entertainment is always nearby! Not only political and economic rallies.

A live statue at Royal Castle Square, Warsaw

A scene in Royal Castle Square, Warsaw

After our visit, we took the moving staircase down to the Castle Bridge, where there are bus and tram stops and a parking lot, where our bus was waiting for us under the bridge. Thank you, everybody!

By escalator to the parking lot under the Castle Bridge, Warsaw

Together in Battle bas relief inside the escalator/Together in Reconstruction bas relief inside the escalator

A view of St.Anne's Church from under the bridge, Warsaw

This featured blog entry was written by Vic_IV from the blog Our Stay in Poland.
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