Page 88 - DK Eyewitness Travel Guides - The World's Must-See Places

Royal Castle, Warsaw
86 EUROPE

A grand example of Baroque architecture, the original
Royal Castle (Zamek Kr61ewski) was planned on the site
of a Mazovian fortress when Zygmunt Ill Vasa decided
to move P oland's capital from Cracow to Warsaw in 1596.
It was designed in t he early-Baroque manner (Baroque
Style, see p.80) by the Italian architects Giovanni Trevano,
Giacomo R odondo, and Matteo Castelli between 1598 and
1619. Successive ru lers remodeled the castle many times.
Following its destruction in World War II, the castle was
rebuilt between 1971 and 1984, and many of the original
A Canaletto Room
The walls of this room are furnishings were returned. This massive undertaking was Tabletop from 1777
decorated with 23 scenes
of Warsaw by Bernardo funded largely by donations from the Polish people.
Bellotto (1 720-80), a
Venetian painter who was ~ Great Assembly Hall
known in P oland by the
Decorated with 17 pairs of
name of his famous uncle.
golden columns . the hall is one
of the castle's most elaborate
rooms. It was used for state
occasions. banquets,
and balls.
~~~~[~
~ Deputies' Chamber
The Constitution of
May 3 was formally
adopted here in 1791. The
coats of arms of all the
administrative regions and
territories of the R epublic
are depicted on the walls
and a royal throne is also
on s how.
~ C rown Princes' Rooms
Historical paintings by Jan
Matejko are displayed in
a gallery in these former
rota I aparlments.
~ Apartment of Prince
Stanislaw Poniatowski

..: Zygmunt Tower
This tCM~er. 200 ft (60 ~
high, was built in 1619.
It is crCM~ned by a cupola Ql Z ygmunt Tower
with a spire. It is also
known as the Clock Tower
(Zegarowa), since a clock
was installed in 1622.
Great Assembly Hall v

..: Marble Room
Decorated in 16th-century
slyle with colored marble
and trompe l'ooil painting,
this room also features 22
magnificent portraits of Polish
kings by Marcello Bacciarelli