Description of the attraction
Ujazdowski Castle is the royal palace of the Polish king August II, located in Warsaw next to Lazienkowski Park.
The first castle on this site was erected in the 13th century for the Dukes of Mazovia, but after they moved to another palace, the Ujazdowski castle was abandoned. On the ruins of the former castle, King Sigismund III Vasa built a manor for the future King Vladislav IV Vasa. However, there is little evidence that the residence was ever used by the prince. After that, the mint was located in the castle for a short time.
In the middle of the 17th century, the castle was leased by King August II and ordered to build a new royal residence there. All the architectural work was supervised by the famous architect Tilman Gamersky. In 1766, the palace was bought by King Stanislav August Poniatowski, who carried out the necessary reconstruction in the Ujazdowski residence. Another floor was added to the palace, the work was carried out under the guidance of famous masters: Jakub Fontana, Dominique Merlini, Jean-Baptiste Pillement.
During World War II, the Ujazdowski Palace was burned down, and the ruins that remained after the war were demolished in 1954, despite protests from historians.
In 1975, the castle was rebuilt in the form that it had under King August II. The construction works were supervised by the architect Piotr Beganski.
The Center for Contemporary Art has been operating in the palace since 1985. It hosts thematic exhibitions, concerts and educational workshops. Since 1990, the center has organized over 600 exhibitions. Currently, the director of the center is the Italian Fabio Cavallucci.
