Royal Castle & Castle Square
Zamek Królewski / Plac Zamkowy
Home to Polish kings and parliament for centuries. Rebuilt between 1971 and 1984 with public donations, its lavish royal apartments display Bellotto's paintings of Warsaw.
The Royal Castle was originally the castle of the Dukes of Masovia. In the late 16th century King Sigismund III Vasa moved the capital from Kraków to Warsaw, and the castle became the royal residence. In 1791, Europe's first written constitution, the Constitution of 3 May, was adopted here. The castle was destroyed by German forces in 1944 and remained in ruins for decades. From 1971 it was rebuilt with donations from citizens and Poles abroad. Many original items, including murals, furniture and carvings, had been hidden by wartime staff at great risk and were later returned to their places.
The route includes the royal apartments, the parliament chamber, the ballroom, the Marble Room and the Canaletto Room, which displays 22 Warsaw landscape paintings by Bellotto (also known as Canaletto). These paintings became key references for rebuilding the Old Town after the war. There are also two paintings by Rembrandt. In the centre of Castle Square in front of the palace stands the Sigismund III Column, erected in 1644. It is Warsaw's oldest secular monument and a popular meeting spot. The east side of the square offers views over the Vistula. The terraced garden behind the palace opens in summer. Admission costs about 50 złoty (check the official website). The permanent exhibition is free on Wednesdays, but you must collect a timed ticket in advance.
Opening hours
Tue–Sun approx. 10:00–18:00; closed Mondays (some summer days extended; check website)
Nearby sights
- St. John's Archcathedral
- St. Anne's Church & Viewing Terrace
- Old Town Market Square
- Warsaw Barbican & City Walls
- Grand Theatre – Polish National Opera
- New Town & Maria Skłodowska-Curie Museum
- Multimedia Fountain Park
- Saxon Garden & Tomb of the Unknown Soldier