Royal Castle, Warsaw
| Royal Castle | |
|---|---|
Zamek Królewski | |
View from Castle Square (top), from the Vistula River (middle), and an aerial view of the southern facade (bottom) | |
Interactive fullscreen map | |
| General information | |
| Type | Castle residency |
| Architectural style | Mannerist-Baroque |
| Location | Poland |
| Coordinates | 52°14′52″N 21°00′51″E / 52.2478°N 21.0142°E |
| Construction started | 1598, 1971 |
| Completed | 1619, 1984 |
| Demolished | 10 – 13 September 1944 (German Army) |
| Client | Sigismund III Vasa |
| Height | |
| Height | 60 metres |
| Design and construction | |
| Architects | Matteo Castelli, Giovanni Battista Trevano, Gaetano Chiaveri |
| Website | |
| www | |
| Type | Cultural |
| Criteria | ii, vi |
| Part of | Historic Centre of Warsaw |
| Reference no. | 30bis |
| UNESCO region | Europe |
| 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 Royal Castle in Warsaw (Polish: Zamek Królewski w Warszawie [ˈzamɛk kruˈlɛfskʲi v varˈʂavjɛ]) is a state museum and a national historical monument, which formerly served as the official royal residence of several Polish monarchs. The personal offices of the king and the administrative offices of the royal court were located in the Castle from the 16th century until the final partition of Poland in 1795. Situated in the Castle Square, at the entrance to the Old Town, the Royal Castle holds a significant collection of Polish and European art.
The Royal Castle witnessed many notable events in Poland's history; the Constitution of 3 May 1791, first of its type in Europe and the world's second-oldest codified national constitution, was drafted here by the Four-Year Parliament. The edifice was redesigned into a neoclassical style following the partitions of Poland. Under the Second Polish Republic (1918–1939), it was the seat of the Polish head of state and president. The Second World War brought complete destruction to the building; in September 1939 it was targeted and ignited by Luftwaffe fighter aircraft, and then detonated by the Nazis after the failed Warsaw Uprising in 1944.
In 1965, the surviving wall fragments, cellars, the adjacent Copper-Roof Palace and the Kubicki Arcades were registered as historical monuments. Reconstruction was carried out in the years 1971–1984, during which it regained its original 17th-century appearance. In 1980, the Royal Castle and surrounding Old Town became a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is the second most visited art museum in Poland (after the Wawel Castle in Kraków) and the 31st most visited art museum in the world with over 2.14 million visitors in 2024.