Our
next round of visitors arrive on Monday, but I think I’ll have to pass on visiting
Warsaw’s Royal Castle for the sixth time!
But
the situation is comparable to when I lived in Istanbul; and after taking friends through the Ayasofya for the 10th time, I started
waiting for them at a nearby café. Next week, I’ll enjoy drinking my latté and
reading a book while my friends tour through the opulent castle without me.
Last
weekend, we took our visiting friends from Istanbul through the Royal Castle. A
castle has stood here since the Mazovian dukes built a wooden version in the 14th
century. Over the years, the castle was home to several Polish kings and the
president of pre-WWII Poland as well as the parliament of the Polish-Lithuanian
Commonwealth, one of the largest countries of 16th and 17th-century
Europe.
Of
course, like everything else in Warsaw, the castle was destroyed by the Nazis
during World War II. If you pay the extra admission to visit the Rembrandt paintings and royal art collection
in the castle, you can see a portion of the original brick wall with drilled
holes where the Nazis placed the dynamite.
 |
| This photo of the Royal Castle in 1947 greets you in the foyer as you start your tour. Pretty shocking, isn't it? |
Rebuilding
of the castle finally began in 1971 – thanks to a long delay by the Communist
authorities. In 1984, the castle reopened to the public – just about 30 years
ago! Luckily, many of the gorgeous furnishings and paintings are original,
which the Poles hid away in the mountains when they realized the city would be
destroyed by the war.
 |
| The Great Assembly Hall |
 |
| The Knights' Hall features the Polish Hall of Fame with massive paintings of great events and busts and portraits of important Poles. |
The
rebuilt castle harks back to its historical Baroque and Classical styles as you
can see as wander through the king’s old rooms and the Senator’s Chamber, which
is where the first constitution in Europe was adopted and signed in 1791.
 |
| The Senator's Chamber - a rare moment without any other tourists in it! |
You
easily can tour through the castle in a little over an hour by yourself or with
your companions. There are signs in English in each room pointing out its
importance. If you want a more in-depth history lesson, you can rent an
audioguide for a nominal fee.
As
you admire the castle’s luxurious furnishings, marble and chandeliers, you can’t
help but wonder about all the people that once roamed the halls.
 |
| The King's bedroom - Was the king really that short? And where is the Queen's bedroom? |
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| The Green Room |
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| A painting of Warsaw circa late 1700s, I think. |
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| The Old Town walls near the Royal Castle in Warsaw. |
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| This room features paintings of Poland's kings and other Polish monarchs. |
 |
| Strolling behind the Royal Castle with our friends. |
Information:
Royal
Castle
Plac
Zamkowy 4
Warsaw,
Poland
Cost:
22 PLN regular tickets, 15 PLN for reduced tickets and 1 PLN for children under
16
Audioguides
cost 17 PLN for the regular rate or 12 PLN for the reduced rate.
Admission
on Sundays is supposed to be free.
Tel:
22 35 55 338
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2 comments:
. . what a gem! That said, you are right about the need to sit out these attractions after the first ten visits. The up-side to visitors is how we see things in a fresh, new way through their eyes.
@Alan, wise words! :-) Our Turkish friends surprised us with their top 3 things they liked about Warsaw: taking a bike ride, visiting Pawiak Prison (a great small museum tells some of horrors of WWII), and the Old Town area. The bike ride gave our friends a chance to see Warsaw from a different perspective too!
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