Lazienkowski Palace (Palace on the Water)
Lazienkowski Palace is the former summer residence of King Stanislaw August Poniatowski, the last Polish monarch. At the time of its construction, the “water palace” was far from the capital. Today, the 74-hectare park, opened to the public in 1818, is located right on the border of the center of Warsaw.
General information
The original 17th-century bathhouse was rebuilt by Italian architect Dominik Merlini into a grand classical palace. Other buildings, including the White House (Bialy Dom) with several pavilions, orangeries, paths and canals, were added later, and the result is a beautiful mixture of French classical and baroque architecture with an English-style park. The quiet park is a favorite walking spot for many of the city’s residents.
.In the main building, the Palace on the Island, the most impressive features are the neoclassical ballroom, the Solomon Hall, and the art gallery, where about 2,500 works of art are on display (the most valuable ones were stolen or destroyed, although part of the Stanislaus Augustus collection has survived), as well as the dining room where King Stanislaus held his famous “Thursdays” where cultural and political figures gathered. The Hall of Bacchus is decorated with original Delft tiles.
>At the opposite end of the park above the steep bank of the Vistula River stands an unusual monument to Frederic Chopin – an exact copy of the 1926 monument; the composer is depicted sitting under a willow tree, the branches of which look like the pianist’s hand. Around the monument – the Nazis are said to have destroyed it first – is a popular area for summer concerts.
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Lazienki Krolewskie, ul. Agrykoli 1,open Tuesdays and Thursdays 9.00-16.00,entrance fee
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