Location: ul. SK Potockiego 10/ 16, Wilanów district Map
Tel. 022 842 25 09
Bus: E-2, 116, 117, 130, 139, 164, 180, 519, 522, 700, 710, 724
Palace: May- Sep: 9:30am- 6:30pm Mon- Sat
Oct- Apr: 9:30am- 4:30pm Tue, Thu, Fri
Closed: Jan
Park: 9am- dusk
Completed: 1696
Wilanow Palace is a former royal residence situated on the South-
East outskirts of Warsaw. It is surrounded by a vast beautiful
Wilanow Park. Wilanow Palace was constructed in 1677 by the orders
of a Polish king Jan Sobiesky who wanted a new suburban residence to
escape noise and chaos of a capital. After he died Wilanow Palace
changed hands several times. Each new owner added something of their
own to the exterior and interior of this lavish residence. No one
dared, however, to remove external sculptures that glorified
military successes of palace's original owner.
Elizabeth
Syniavska did most visible alterations. She expanded her private
chambers and increased the size of the kitchen. Thanks to her
renovation projects Wilanow Palace became one of the most stunning
examples of Polish Baroque. It also houses one of the first museum
opened in the country. It was established in 1805 by Stanislaw
Potocki. During World War II invading German troops stole many of
its artifacts, but they were later recovered and returned to Wilanow
Palace.
Architecture and decoration of the palace
The architecture of the
palace is original - it is the result of combining European art with the
old Polish tradition of construction. The painterly and sculptural decor
of the facade and palace interiors has been preserved, which in
reference to ancient symbolism proclaims the apotheosis of the Sobieski
family and the glorification of the king's military successes.
The stucco and painting decorations of the palace are the work of such
artists as Józef Szymon Bellotti, Jerzy Siemiginowski-Eleuter,
Michelangelo Palloni, Claude Callot, Jan Reisner (the ceiling painting
of Dawn in the Mirror Cabinet), Johann Samuel Mock (paintings of
Augustus II the Strong in the Dutch Cabinet). The decorations in the
façade shields were made by Francesco Fumo. Regency ornamentation (20s
and 30s of the 18th century) is the work of Pietro Innocente Compereti.
The author of the cabinet sculpture is from the south-east. Polish
(Puławy) from the family of sculptors working for the Lubomirski family
- Eliasz Hofmann.
History
Initially, in the years 1677–1680,
it was a typical suburban magnate residence, in the shape of a Polish
manor house with alcoves. The extension and decoration project was
probably entrusted to Tylman van Gameren. Augustyn Locci took over the
management of the works.
In the years 1692–1696, the central part
of the palace received the second floor, and the palace towers were
crowned with copper helmets. Its shape from 1696 represents a
characteristic type of baroque suburban residence, entre cour et jardin.
In the years 1720–1728, side wings were added (designed by Giovanni
Spazzio - the main architect of Elżbieta Sieniawska née Lubomirska).
After Sobieski's death (1696), the palace, in accordance with the
treaty signed in 1699 by his three sons, became the succession of
Aleksander and Konstanty.
In 1720 Konstanty Sobieski sold the
palace to Elżbieta Sieniawska, who in the following years expanded the
palace, incl. by adding side wings. Works commissioned by Józef Fontana
were carried out. After Elizabeth's death in 1729, her daughter, Maria
Zofia Denhoffowa, later wife of the Ruthenian voivode, prince August
Aleksander Czartoryski, became the heir. She gave the palace a lifetime
lease (i.e. until 1733) to the successor of Jan III, King Augustus II
the Strong. The next heiress was their daughter, Izabela Lubomirska, and
acting widely in the artistic field, she enriched the palace with many
works of art and erected new buildings in the courtyard.
In 1799
her son-in-law, Stanisław Kostka Potocki, became the owner. On his
initiative, in 1805 one of the first public museums in Poland was
established in part of the palace. In addition to presenting the rich
collections of European and Far Eastern art, the central part of the
palace is devoted to the memory of Jan III and the great national past.
In 1836, in the pre-palace area, Aleksander Stanisław Potocki
erected a mausoleum commemorating his parents, designed by Henryk
Marconi.
In 1892, the palace passed into the hands of Ksawery
Branicki and remained in the family until 1945. The last owner was Adam
Branicki.
On May 14, 1926, during the May Coup, Stanisław
Wojciechowski signed in the palace his resignation from the position of
President of the Republic of Poland.
During World War II, the
Germans and Hungarians plundered about 80% of the palace's interior
furnishings, and the palace garden was also destroyed.
It was
taken over by the state after the last war, after thorough conservation
and restoration works, as well as restoration of a large part of the
collections taken away by the Germans, it was made available to the
public in 1962.
Since 1995, the palace and the palace and park
complex have been managed by the Museum of King Jan III's Palace in
Wilanów (until 2013 it was called the Wilanów Palace Museum). In 2004,
the renovation was carried out with the help of the Norwegian financial
contribution to the EEAGrants association together with other Polish
monuments (Malbork Castle and the Cloth Hall in Krakow).
Separate
articles: Museum of King Jan III's Palace at Wilanów and the Poster
Museum at Wilanów.
Philately
The Wilanów team appeared on the
following postage marks:
a postage stamp with a face value of 60
groszy from 1967 (designed by Stefan Małecki, reproduction of a painting
by Wincenty Kasprzycki), circulation of 8 million copies,
two
postcards commemorating the Stamp Day in 1971 with the denominations of
40 groszy and 1.65 zlotys (designed by Tadeusz Michaluk), circulation of
500 and 200 thousand, respectively pieces,
postcard from December 17,
1971 (designed by Jacek Brodowski with the Sobieski coat of arms -
Janina), circulation 106,400,
postcard from April 18, 1977 on the
occasion of the 300th anniversary of Wilanów (designed by Jacek
Brodowski, with palace details), circulation 1,013,000,
occasional
date stamp for April 21-26, 1977,
the last stamp of a series of six
postage stamps put into circulation on November 21, 1977 with a face
value of PLN 6.90 (designed by Jacek Brodowski).