Royal Route

Following the Royal Route, we come to the seat of the President of the Republic of Poland in the former palace of Stanisław Koniecpolski. In front of the seat – the statue of Prince Józef Poniatowski Bertel Thor-Valdsen, Danish sculptor. The plaster model was created in 1826 r. The layout resembles ancient monuments (np. Brand Aureliusza) was to be unveiled in its present place in the 1830s. After casting in one of the Warsaw bell foundries, the monument was confiscated by the tsarist authorities and initially taken to Modlin, and then to the residence of prince Ivan Paskevich in Gomel. On the other hand, the place in front of the palace was taken by St. 1870 r. Paskiewicz monument (removed in 1917 r.). After the restoration of Thorvaldsen's work in 1922 r. the monument was erected a year later in front of the Saski Palace. Eventually 1944 r. the monument was destroyed by the Nazis. After its reconstruction, the monument was unveiled in 1952 r. and placed in front of the Orangery in the Royal Łazienki Park. On the present, originally planned place, set in 1965 r. The Koniecpolski palace itself, which is the backdrop for the monument, was created in 1645 r., and the designer was Konstanty Tencalla for Stanisław Koniecpolski – the Grand Hetman of the Crown. Later it was rebuilt and expanded according to the design. Antonio Solari in the years 1738-40 and in years 1818-19 wg proj. Christian Piotr Aigner. He was in the possession of, among others: Lubomirski and Radziwiłł. From 1818 r. became the seat of governors of the Kingdom of Poland. In the interwar period, it was the seat of the government. After World War II, significant political events took place in the palace. W 1955 r. The Warsaw Pact was signed here, w 1970 r. the treaty regulating interstate relations between the People's Republic of Poland and Germany was signed, w 1989 r. breakthrough talks for the Polish system took place at the "round table". From 1993 r. the palace is the official residence of the President of the Republic of Poland.

Opposite the Stanisław Koniecpolski Palace (under no. 15) there is the palace of Kasper Denhoff, preceded by the honorary courtyard, built at the beginning. 17th century, rebuilt and extended many times (m.in. wg proj. Józef Fontana in 1730 r. and Jan Christian Kamsetzer in 1782-94). Its owners were later, among others. Czartoryski, Lubomirski and Potocki. Currently, it is the seat of the Ministry of Culture and Art. Following the Royal Route, we come to two stylish hotels situated opposite. To the right (under no. 13) there is a neo-renaissance Hotel Europejski, designed in years 1855-57 by Henryk Marconi. On the other side of Krakowskie Przedmieście – neo-renaissance hotel Bristol, built in the years 1899-1901 wg proj. Władysław Marconi. Its first co-owner was Ignacy Paderewski – musician, composer and politician. In the 1930s. the famous painter Wojciech Kossak had his studio in the hotel apartment.

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