Description of the attraction
The Royal Palace is the official residence of the Polish monarchs, located in the center of Warsaw at the entrance to the Old Town.
The construction of the Royal Palace began under King Sigismund III Vasa in 1598 on the site of the medieval palace of the 13th century of the princes of Mazovia. Before him, the castle was owned by Queen Bona Sforza, who was the wife of Sigismund I. The reconstruction began with the expansion of the castle, the building in the early Baroque style received the shape of a pentagon, a defensive tower 60 meters high was erected, which was named "Sigismund's Tower". A clock with gilded discs was installed on the top of the tower. In 1637, the Zala del Teatro, a hall for watching performances and operas, was built in the southern wing on the second floor according to the project of Augustine Locci.
During the invasion of the Swedes in 1655-1656, the royal castle in Warsaw was plundered - the Swedes took out paintings, furniture, tapestries, and the royal library.
During the reign of Stanislav August Poniatowski, the Royal Castle flourished. During this period, great artists, sculptors and architects, such as Victor Louis, Jakub Fontana, Domenico Merlini, worked on the interior decoration. The Ballroom, the Knights' Hall were built, as well as a new library.
During the First World War, the palace was damaged, restoration work began in 1915 and continued until 1939. The work was supervised by the architect Kazhimezh Skorevich and Adolf Shishko-Bogush. The reconstruction was never completed due to the outbreak of World War II. In early October 1939, the Germans, led by historians and art experts from the University of Wroclaw, began to dismantle all things of value. The floor, carmines, cornices, sculptures were removed. All decorations were sent to Germany.
By order of Hitler, the palace was to be blown up in early 1940. However, due to protests from Italy, the palace was abandoned. It was destroyed later, in 1944, during the bombing. After the end of the war, the communist authorities delayed the decision to rebuild the palace. This decision was made only in 1971.
Currently, the palace serves as a museum and is subordinate to the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage. Many official visits and government meetings are held here. More than 500 thousand people visit the Royal Palace every year.
