Presidential Palace, Warsaw
| Presidential Palace | |
|---|---|
Pałac Prezydencki | |
View of the palace with a statue of Józef Poniatowski in the foreground | |
Interactive map of the Presidential Palace area | |
| General information | |
| Architectural style | Neoclassical (1818) |
| Location | Krakowskie Przedmieście 46/48, Warsaw, Poland |
| Current tenants | Karol Nawrocki, as President of Poland |
| Construction started | 1643 |
| Client | Stanisław Koniecpolski (1643) |
| Owner | Government of Poland |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | Chrystian Piotr Aigner (1818) |
| Designated | 1994-09-08 |
| Part of | Warsaw – historic city center with the Royal Route and Wilanów |
| Reference no. | M.P. 1994 nr 50 poz. 423 |
The Presidential Palace (Polish: Pałac Prezydencki) is the official residence of the Polish head of state and president alongside the Belweder Palace, located in Warsaw, Poland. Originally constructed in 1643 as an aristocratic mansion, it was rebuilt and remodelled several times over the course of its existence by notable architects. The current neoclassical palace was completed in 1818.
Throughout its history, the palace was a venue for important historical events in Polish, European, and world history. In 1791, the facility hosted authors and advocates of the Constitution of 3 May 1791, the first modern European constitution. In 1818, the palace began its ongoing career as a governmental structure when it became the seat of the Polish Viceroy (namiestnik) of the autonomous Congress Poland, Józef Zajączek.
Following Poland's resurrection after World War I, in 1918, the building was taken over by the newly reconstituted Polish authorities and became the seat of the Council of Ministers. During World War II, it served as a Deutsches Haus for the country's German occupiers and survived the 1944 Warsaw Uprising intact. After the war, it resumed its function as seat of the Polish Council of Ministers. On 14 May 1955, the Warsaw Pact was signed inside the Presidential Palace between the Soviet Union and the Eastern Bloc countries. Since July 1994, the palace has been the official seat of the president of the Republic of Poland.