WARSAW CASTLE
Poland
The Royal Castle in Warsaw's Old Town is one of the city's most distinctive structures . . . however, it has had a long history of destruction and plunder, culminating in its ultimate destruction by the Nazis. But that is getting ahead of the tale.
It started life late in the 13th Century as a wooden structure built by Duke Conrad II of Mazovia. His successor, Casimir I, built the first brick structure and between 1407 and 1410 a large Gothic Castle was built by Janusz I of Warsaw.
In the 1540s and 1550s Queen Bona Sforza (wife of Sigismund I) lived here and her son, Sigismund II Augustus, began adding domestic buildings in the 1570s. His son, Sigismund III Vasa, decided to expand the Castle greatly and it was during his reign that the Castle grew to its current five-sided shape with all the Baroque additions - most notably Sigismund's Tower which dominates the Castle today.
In 1655-56 the Swedish and German armies occupied Warsaw. A shot fired at Sigismund's Tower caused the spire to break off and destroy part of the Courtyard as it fell. The occupiers plundered the Castle and left it in a sorry state.
Rebuilding was undertaken by Kings Michał Korybut Wisniowiecki and Jan III Sobieski. However, all of this was in vain as only 100 years later the Great Northern War swept across Poland and the Castle was successively bombed by the Swedes, the Germans and the Russians. The Russians eventually gained control of Warsaw and the treasures of the Castle were spirited away to St. Petersburg by Tsar Peter I.
In the early 18th Century attempts were made to rebuild the Castle once more, but it was not until 1737 that Italian architect Gaetano Chiaveri was giving permission to rebuild a new wing facing the Wisła. This was completed by 1747. The last Polish monarch, Stanisław August Poniatowski, spent a vast amount of money on the Castle and by 1795 it was a palatial structure with only a few hints of its earlier fortress life.
In 1791 the first codified Constitution in Europe was signed at the Castle - and then reiterated at Warsaw Cathedral just to ensure it was acknowledged by both secular and ecclesiastical authorities.
In the 19th Century there were elaborate plans to construct a third storey on the Castle with 7 towers of different sizes, metal domed roofs and elaborate friezes. Much of this came to nothing, although renovations were carried out.
Damage occurred once more during the Polish Insurrection against Russian rule and the Castle remained damaged until work began in 1915 to repair it. After Poland regained its independence post World War I work began in earnest and the Castle managed to regain some of the treasures stolen by Peter the Great. In 1926 the Polish President resided at Warsaw Castle for the first time.
In 1939 Germany invaded Poland and the Castle was burnt by bombing raids. Once Warsaw was occupied the treasures of the Castle were stolen once more. Hitler took specific interest in the fate of the Castle and ordered it to be destroyed early in 1940. Holes were drilled to put dynamite in but, due to protests from the Italians who had been instrumental in building the Castle, the order was not carried out.
Nothing, however, could save the Castle following the Warsaw Uprising in 1944 and the Russian troops stationed across the Wisła must have had a very clear view of the Germans blowing the Castle to fragments leaving part of the ground floor, the base of one tower and a couple of other walls.
Plans were put in place to rebuild from 1949, but work never commenced - partly because the Communist authorities considered the Castle too much of an icon of free Poland and partly because the money was running out. Work did not begin until 1966 and was completed by 1974, although work on the interiors continued until 1988.
In 1980 the Royal Castle and the Old Town of Warsaw were added to the UNESCO World Heritage Site and today it operates as a Museum.
© Text copyright - Raving Loony
Productions and
Andrew J. Müller
© Photos and Artwork - Andrew J. Müller
© Web Design and Layout - Andrew J. Müller
2019
