Royal Castle

Royal Castle

This is one of the most famous buildings in the world, not only for its architectural or historical value, but most of all because it didn't exist for 37 years. As a symbol of independent Poland it was razed to the ground after the Warsaw Uprising of World War 2. It took until 1971 for it to be rebuilt and 9 years later, along with Warsaw's Old Town, it was put on UNESCO's World Heritage list.

The history of the Royal Palace dates back to the end of the 13^th century, when the Mazovian Prince, Konrad II, erected a wooden fort here. Between 1407 and 1410 it was replaced by a gothic castle which, in 1526, became a royal residence. It was improved and extended in the times of the last Jagiellonians and Wazas, but was seriously damaged during the Swedish deluge. The whole royal library, royal archives and most of the works of art and furniture were looted. They even took the floor back to Sweden! The castle then served as a field hospital for the Swedish army. Most of the damage was repaired during the renovations of the residence in 1657. Unfortunately, 150 years later the Swedes once again took over the palace and again made a hospital out of it. If that were not enough, some of the rooms, including the Parliamentary Chambers and the Minister's rooms, were turned into stables. The castle's golden years came about with the ascension to the throne of the last King of Poland, Stanisław August Poniatowski. A large part of the castle underwent serious renovation and rebuilding and the King's Library building was added. The library of Stanisław August Poniatowski numbered 16 000 volumes, over 25 000 graphics, drawings and engravings and almost 70 000 prints. The library became the a popular place for social meetings and cultural events. The Royal Castle, because of its function and position, was witness to some of the most decisive historical events. The 3^rd May Constitution was enacted here in 1791 and in 1807 Napoleon Bonaparte brought into existence the Duchy of Warsaw. During the partitions of Poland, the Russian Tsars resided here and from 1926 the president of the 2^nd Republic of Poland.

When the 2^nd World War broke out all objects of historical value were systematically removed from the castle. The floors, marble, fireplaces, stucco were all dismantled and, under the direction of the nazi historians, they were transported to museum in Germany, warehouses in Cracow or to the apartments of high ranking officials based in Warsaw. At the beginning of October 1939, Adolf Hitler decided to demolish the Royal Castle and replace it with a Nazi Party congress hall. Zygmunt's column was to be replaced by a statue to Germania. The final destruction of the castle actually happened in 1944 after the Warsaw Uprising. Only the cellars, the Grodzki Tower foundations, the Kubicki Arcades and part of the Royal Library remained.

The decision to rebuild the castle was made in 1949 and soon they opened the Grodzki Gate. In 1966 the Royal Library was rebuilt and further work was continued when, in 1971, the Citizen's Committee for the Rebuilding of the Royal Castle in Warsaw was formed. Under the direction of architect Jan Bogusławski, it took just 3 years to return the castle to its 1939 state. The final touches were put on over the next 14 years. The whole project was funded thanks to voluntary offerings of the citizens of Warsaw and with money from the Social Fund for the Rebuilding of the Capital.

Today, the Royal Castle is a place for state meetings at the highest levels. The Royal insignia of Stanisław August Poniatowski are kept here as well as the insignia of the President of Poland and state documents handed over to Lech Walęsa in 1990 by Ryszard Kaczorowski. The castle is also a museum under the auspices of the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage.