The Royal Castle in Warsaw

Medals available in the souvenir shop!

The Royal Castle in Warsaw invites you to visit the representative and private flats from the time of Stanislaw August, the last king of Poland. It displays an exceptional collection of works of art, including paintings by Rembrandt, Canaletto and Matejko, as well as the world’s largest collection of Eastern carpets.

The origins of the Royal Castle date back to the 14th century, when the Great Tower was built (on the map of the Castle – today’s Grodzka Tower).

Extended in the 16th and 17th centuries, during the reign of Sigismund III Vasa it acquired the shape of a closed pentagon. It was the royal residence, the seat of the Sejm, and the administrative and cultural centre of the country.

Destroyed in the mid-17th century during the wars with Sweden, it slowly regained its splendour during the reign of the Wettins.

In the second half of the 18th century, artists employed by Stanisław August (Jan Christian Kamsetzer, Marcello Bacciarelli, Dominik Merlini) rebuilt the interiors of the chambers, creating the Apartments: Grand and Royal.

During the partitions (19th century), a large part of the last king’s collection found its way to Russia. After Poland regained its independence, some of the works of art were returned to their former place.

In September 1939. The Castle was bombed, but the museum workers, under the direction of Professor Stanisław Lorentz, managed to save some of the interior design and works of art.

In September 1944, the castle was blown up by German troops.

Between 1945 and 1970, the communist authorities delayed reconstruction; a decision was not taken until 1971. Funds for the reconstruction were owed solely to the public’s generosity until 1980.

In 1984, the reconstructed interiors were opened to the public.

From 1995, work began on the conservation of the Kubicki Arcade and the reconstruction of the castle gardens. The completion of these works and the renovation of the Pod Blachą Palace will finalise the work of reconstructing the architectural complex that is the Castle.

In April 2009, the official opening of the Kubicki Arcade, which has become a new cultural space on the map of Warsaw, took place.