Gift of the Soviet people to the Polish nation

The text was published at http://www.communications-unlimited.nl/gift-of-the-soviet-people-to-the-polish-nation/

The tallest building in Poland, the eighth tallest building in the European Union and in a Top-20 in Europe. There has been no more foreground building constructed in Poland after 1945 than the Palace of Culture and Science – or to give it its full title: “the Palace of Culture and Science in the name of Joseph Stalin”. And none more divisive and controversial, either.

They should have sold it and said they would ship it over for free

When I told my English friend I was going to write a text about the Palace of Culture and Science, he asked me if I was talking about „a monstrously hideous landmark in the centre of Warsaw”. It is very tasteless on a Soviet Communist way – he said. I am surprised people who suffered under communism don`t want it torn down – he added. I told him an American billionaire wanted to buy the Palace a while ago and move it to the States, unfortunately Poland disagreed but my friend was unconvinced and replied: They should have sold it and said they would ship it over for free!!!

As the city’s most visible landmark, the building was controversial from its inception. Many Poles initially hated the building because they considered it to be a symbol of Soviet domination, and at least some of that negative feeling persist today. Some have also argued that, regardless of their political connotations, the building destroyed the aesthetic balance of the old city and imposed dissonance with other buildings. This contrast has been lessened somewhat over the years with the construction of several skyscrapers in the vicinity. Despite the controversies, the Palace became an internationally recognized symbol of Warsaw.

The Palace was meant to fascinate the public but instead became the subject of several jokes and sarcastic observations. The French actor Gerard Philipe while visiting Warsaw called the Palace „small but tasteful”. There was a running joke about the most beautiful place in Warsaw and the answer was „the 30th floor of the Palace of Culture and Science since there was a viewing tarrace and standing there you could see anything but the Palace”.

The nicknames full of hate and contempt

Varsovians still commonly use nicknames to refer to the Palace, notably Pekin (“Beijing”, because of its abbreviated name PKiN), Pajac (pronunciated as „payatz”, “clown”, a word that sounds close to „pałac”). Other less common names include Stalin’s syringe, the Elephant in Lacy Underwear, or even the Russian Wedding Cake. The building has been most hated by Warsaw inhabitants since it was a gift from the loathed Soviet Union to the people of Poland.

The Legends about the Palace of Culture and Science

There are many legends about what is hidden beneath the building: fallout shelter, railway platform, pathways to Warsaw Central Station (opened 20 years later) and the House of the Party, the seat of The Polish United Workers’ Party (PZPR being the Communist party which governed the People’s Republic of Poland from 1948 to 1989). The PKiN information desk informed me last weeked there was not fallout shelter under the building however I remember one of my student mates mentioned shooting session made there nearly 30 years ago.

The other legend says a Polish Communist leader, NKVD agent, and a hard-line Stalinist who became President of Poland Bolesław Bierut held talks with the leader of the Soviet Union Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin which led to accepting the Palace of Culture and Science as a new building in Warsaw city`s centre. Poland was offered a rapid transit or a palace and its preference was for the latter. Maybe that`s why Warsaw was waiting for the former for several dozen years,

Gift of the Soviet people to the Polish nation

The Palace of Culture and Science has been built in a mixture of then-compulsory Socialist realism with elements of Polish historicism. It stands for everything Poland tried to reject after the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 and the swift crumbling of the Soviet Union, and better than any other building it epitomises the 44 years of the People’s Polish Republic.

Construction started in 1952 and lasted until 1955. The Palace was a cornerstone of the Warsaw to come, planned together with a majestic Parade Square. During construction it was still surrounded by post-war ruins, with people living in tenements cut in half by bomb craters, survivors of Warsaw’s razing by the Nazis in 1944.

The palace was a “gift of the Soviet people to the Polish nation”, offered by Joseph Stalin himself. The architect was Lew Rudniew. The tower was constructed, using Soviet plans, almost entirely by 3,500 workers from the Soviet Union, of whom 16 died in accidents during the construction. One of the legends, more horrible than the others, said the corpses were buried into foundations of rising palace. In fact those 16 labours were inhumed in the orthodox cementary.

It may have been Stalinist madness to build such an ostentatious palace while the rest of the city barely existed. But one can also imagine this new building bringing hope and inspiration to a city being transformed, not just physically but socially. Thousands of people came from across the devastated country to help rebuild the capital.

The architecture of the building is closely related to several similar skyscrapers built in the Soviet Union of the same era, most notably the Moscow State University. However, the main architect Lew Rudnev incorporated some Polish architectural details into the project by traveling around Poland and seeing the architecture. The monumental walls are headed with pieces of masonry copied from Renaissance houses and palaces of Kraków and Zamość. Rudnev’s grand idea for the palace was an eclectic mix of Russian baroque and gothic details on a steel-framed tower. To call Socialist realism eclectic is, of course, heresy – officially it was to be “socialist in content, national in form”.

The palace’s exterior was also extremely elaborate. It is surrounded by dozens of monumental sculptures in the classical style of Michelangelo’s ignudi, including astronomer and mathematician Copernicus, Romantic poet Adam Mickiewicz, pioneering physicist Marie Curie, as well as idealised model workers – the most famous one holding a Ten Commandments-style book inscribed with the names of Marx, Engels and Lenin (Stalin’s name was carefully removed after 1956).

The Palace shocks equally from the interior with marble floors and endless staircases and corridors that dazzle with their weighty glass chandeliers and gilded finishings. Like the famous Moscow metro system, this was luxury for the masses. And that`s what differentiated the palace from its Muscovite cousins was its entirely public use – it was designed to hold several museums, theatres and sports venues.

The legendary gigs inside the gift of the Soviet people to the Polish nation

The Congress Hall (Sala Kongresowa) and Concert Hall (Sala Koncertowa) are without a doubt among the most important concert halls in Poland. The former is by far the bigger of the two: it can accommodate up to 2,880 persons, while the second holds only 550 people, but is now one of the best-equipped in the country in terms of modern technology.

Shortly after opening, the building hosted the 5th World Festival of Youth and Students. Many visiting dignitaries toured the Palace. The Congress Hall has seen numerous prestigious acts of guest artists over the years, such as Marlene Dietrich, Procol Harum, Bruce Springsteen, Cesaria Evora and Woody Allen with his band. It also hosted performances, such as a 1967 concert by the Rolling Stones, the first by a major western rock group behind the Iron Curtain. In 1985, it hosted the historic Leonard Cohen concert, surrounded by many political expectations, which were avoided by Cohen in his prolonged introductions during the three-hour show.

A tape recorder pressed on the belly

March 22nd, 1985. I will remember that day for ever. My mother and I were waiting outside The Congress Hall waiting for a concert. The legendary gig by Leonard Cohen. It was terribly crowded. The public was not allowed inside and militia watched over. I must say I was a reckless young lady. The crowd pressed forward. I brought a tape recorder with me. Who cared about copy rights in the People’s Polish Republic? Almost nobody. But I don`t remember if they allowed me to record the performance. It was so crowded I felt the tape recorder pressed on my belly. It was too much for me. I was 19, I had head full of high ideas, and I decided to tell militia I disliked everything happening there. My mother couldn`t prevent what happened next. I started arguing with militia men. I behaved like someone who came from the outer space and didn`t understand people always were treated worse than cattle rushed into fields. My mother tried to calm me down droning that I supposedly lost my mind again but my argument with militia had a very good result. They made a kind of aisle and let us go inside.

Where you can see anything but the Palace

We have got to the point – the joke I told you before. Which place is the most beautiful in Warsaw? The viewing terrace. Why? Because you can see anything but the Palace.

The big attraction for tourists and residents is the ‘trzydziestka’, a large terrace on the 30th floor of the Palace (at a height of 114 m), where you can admire the gorgeous panorama of Warsaw. On New Year’s Eve, 2000, the Palace of Culture and Science unveiled the second-largest clock in Europe. Its four discs are each 6 m in diameter, and it is highest clock tower in the world.

***

The Palace of Culture and Science was finished 10 years after the end of the WWII, which both destroyed and transformed Poland. What came after was the greatest challenge in the country’s history – to this day, people can’t decide whether it was a failure, or a success. My English friend whose words I was quoting said at the end of our talk: „It will hopefully be torn down one day and replaced with something more fitting”. But would demolishing the palace destroy any memory of communism, with Poland’s image emerging cleaner and more innocent as a result? Do memories work like that? Despite occasional threats of demolition – or privatisation – it is simply too big, too statuesque and too symbolic to get rid of in any organised manner.

No matter whether the Palace stands for ever or has an expiry date it is worth seeing because it is a perfect mix of the most hideous and the most gorgeous things you have ever seen.

Let me say it: See you there!

Photos by Michał Stanisławski 

One square and three significant buildings

The text was published at http://www.communications-unlimited.nl/one-square-and-three-significant-buildings/

A little square just at the heart of Warsaw. Usually Sunday market would need more space but here in small area there are three buildings significant for history of Poland: Zachęta Gallery built between 1898-1900, The Holy Trinity Lutheran Church completed in 1781, and one of Warsaw`s oldest high schools established as a parish Lutheran school in 1906. I happened to have graduated from Mikołaj Rej lycee. I am the abitur of that school emotionally bounded with Stanisław Małachowski Square. 

*** / The First Flashback

We were having the Physics lesson. Our school was called ‘’bloodbath” by students. That meant our teachers had high standards of educating and assessing our knowledge. They used to say that God deserved to have the best result („5” in old Polish system of assessments), their scholastic knowledge was for „4” and we hardly could have got „3” which was a little bit better than „2”, the worst credit. The Physics teacher was one of a few cool guys. He stood out of the crowd of very strict tutors. But what can I say if the school`s apophthegm was „PER ASPERA AD ASTRA” which means "through hardships to the stars"? I saw the writing any time I was entering the school. It was like an inscription on „tombstone” of my poor credits. I thought: „Oh, I am going through hardships but will I ever get to the stars?”. I doubted. It made me down to earth, not hoping to be better one day. Now the apophthegm was changed to „MACTE ANIMO – SIC ITUR AD ASTRA” which means „Young, cheer up! This is the way to the skies”. It could have sounded more optimistic, couldn`t it?

The works on the dome attracted our attention. The windows looked out on classical rotunda of Protestant Church. It was tall and majestic, and there were a few labourers working on the roof which was round.

Mr Professor, which laws of Physics are responsible for keeping workers on the dome and not allowing them to fall down? – colleague said.

The men on a circular roof were working without protection. It was reckless but also weird and thought-provoking. How come could they have been safe there?

There are laws of Physics and there is divine right. As far as this is concerned the latter was more appropriate – teacher said.

The Temple Dedicated To All Gods

The dome where labourers were working accounts for The Holy Trinity Evangelical Church of the Augsburg Confession (Kościół Świętej Trójcy), also known as Zug's Protestant Church (Zbór Zuga). It is a Classical rotunda based partly on the Roman Pantheon so temple was dedicated to all gods. The church was to have the shape of a rotunda covered with a dome with four lower annexes. In the last version the dome carried the light lantern with ionic columns surmounted with the cross.

The Lutheran church was the highest and at the same time one of the biggest buildings of the 18th century Warsaw. The diameter of the dome was 33.4 meters and the height was 58 meters. The huge dome with magnificent lantern tower still dominates the nearby buildings. It upholds the spirit of pure classicism. As the tallest building in Warsaw at that time it served as vantage point for the Polish Army during the Kościuszko Uprising.

***/The Second Flashback

I was standing on a chair next to the window. There were ZOMO vehicles parked in the courtyard. ZOMO (Zmotoryzowane Odwody Milicji Obywatelskiej) was Motorized Reserves of the Citizens' Militia, paramilitary-police formations during the Communist Era, in the People's Republic of Poland. They usually were stationed near our building and used to suppress riots.

Down with ZOMO – I yelled.

I was young and reckless with head full of high ideas. I was not familiar with saying ”look before you leap”. I turned around climbing down to see a militia man standing on our class door step. He was staring at me. I had only one thought: they would take me into custody and my mother would be called. But luckily he stepped back and walked away.

Frédéric Chopin Gave Concerts There

For two centuries Warsaw Lutherans did not have the right to build their own church. The edict issued by the Mazovian prince Janusz in 1525 forbade any other public worship but Roman-Catholic. It was only in 1767-1768 that treaties and constitutional laws were passed at an extraordinary session of the Polish Parliament and equal rights to all denominations were conceded. In this situation, the foundation of the Lutheran church was possible. The king's banker, Piotr Tepper, made efforts to build the church and in 1777 he obtained the appropriate privilege from King Stanisław August Poniatowski. The king however reserved for himself the right of choosing the design of the building.

From three designs presented by an Italian-Polish architect Domenico Merlini, most famous for his Royal Baths Park in Warsaw, a Dresden-born architect Jan Christian Kamsetzer, known for Tyszkiewicz Palace, now a part of University of Warsaw and Szymon Bogumił Zug, one of the most versatile and prolific architects of his epoch the king chose the last one. Zug, unlike his competitors, was not connected with the royal court and at that time was famous as designer of many Warsaw tenement houses, palaces and modern landscape gardens. He also received commissions from Polish aristocrats in the provincial areas. The design of the Lutheran church was however his biggest and most important architectural realization highly estimated by his contemporaries. The final design was preceded by a few versions not far from each other.

In the beginning of the 19th century the church was renowned of the music performances accompanying the service. Among the famous musicians, who gave concerts there was Frédéric Chopin. In April 1825 in the presence of tsar Alexander I of Russia, he played on the choralion (aeolimelodicon).

The Lutheran church was quickly taking root in the history of the city. Similarly its parishioners can be found on the most glorious pages of the history of the capital city. They showed their patriotism in Kościuszko Insurrection in 1794 and the uprisings for independence in 1831 and 1863.

The Holy Trinity Church fell into ruin when bombed and burnt by the Germans on September 16, 1939. It was rebuilt after the war. Inside, visitors are impressed by its double gallery encircling the interior. Because of its acoustic improvements and a splendid organ, the Warsaw Chamber Opera (Warszawska Opera Kameralna) regularly organizes concerts of classical music here.

***/The Third Flashback

It was dark and stirringly. The recital of Polish bard Jacek Kaczmarski was about to start. I loved his songs. I played them everyday, all the day long. I had an audio tape, illegal recording. After play backed so many times it turned nearly to ash.

My 16th birthday, March 5th 1982. I had invited school mates to my party several months earlier, on the beginning of school year 1981, before we knew our rights would be reduced even further. We didn`t have any idea the martial law would be introduced in our country; that ban on gathering would be imposed and the curfew introduced. We were going to have my party in our flat and my mother surprisingly agreed to it. Twenty something young people from the school which was on the regime black list. Gathering of three people was considered as illegal at the time. Once my friends and I met militia when we left cinema. There were three of us so we were taken into control because we formed a gathering.

We enjoyed my birthday a lot. We were loud, laughter could have been heard and Jan Kaczmarski`s music was being played. My friend Leszek picked the receiver and dialled his mother's number. The civilian phone lines were earlier disconnected, but at the time of my birthday they were routinely tapped and monitored by government agents. When Leszek placed the receiver to the speaker and music flew into the phone, call was disconnected and there was silence on line.

I was standing in dark corridor of Zachęta basement. I was waiting for Jan Kaczmarski recital with my mother and my step-father who introduced us to a young man. He gave us his name which escaped my attention. When this man left us I was told I was talking to Him, Jan Kaczmarski whose songs I knew by heart but whom I had never seen before. If I knew who he was I would have told him about my affection.

The first President of the Second Polish Republic was assassinated there

The second oldest building in Stanisław Małachowski Square is Zachęta, one of the oldest showrooms in Poland. The impressive edifice was built between 1898-1900 and designed by Polish architect and conservator Stefan Szyller. All the most outstanding Polish artists’ presented their works in Zachęta, including Wojciech Gerson, a leading Polish painter of the mid-19th century, Jan Matejko, known for paintings of notable historical, political and military events, Józef Chełmoński, famous for monumental paintings now at the Sukiennice National Art Gallery in Kraków, Stanisław Wyspiański, playwright, painter and poet, as well as interior and furniture designer, Józef Mehoffer, one of the leading artists of the Young Poland movement and one of the most revered Polish artists of his time and many others.

Zachęta „witnessed” many historical moments. Gabriel Narutowicz, the first president of Poland after regaining independence, was assassinated on December 16th, 1922, five days after taking office. He was fatally shot by Eligiusz Niewiadomski, an artist and art critic, while visiting an exhibition.

Zachęta is now the most prestigious and largest contemporary art gallery in Poland, with a valuable collection of post-war Polish art. Today, the Gallery exhibits the outstanding work of many artists such as Paul Cezanne, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Pablo Picasso, Kasimir Malevich, Max Ernst, Jean Dubuffet, among others.

The Society for the Encouragement of Fine Arts

The main goal of the Society, which was first established in 1860, was originally to promote and support Polish art and artists at a time when Poland did not exist as an independent state. Among the founders and members of the Society were the most prominent representatives of Warsaw’s social and cultural life, such as painters Wojciech Gerson, Julian Fałat, and Leon Wyczółkowski, writer Henryk Sienkiewicz, banker Leopold Kronenberg and philanthropist Feliks Sobański. The Society not only founded a national collection of art, but also made its mark by educating and inspiring new generations of art lovers. One of the most prominent achievements of the Society, made possible due to the hard work of its members and the generosity of donors, was the construction of the Society’s headquarters in 1900. Designed by Warsaw architect Stefan Szyller, to this day it is the seat of one of the most important Polish art institutions, the Zachęta National Gallery of Art, which established itself as the natural successor to the Society and has continued its traditions.

The Society for the Encouragement of Fine Arts was dissolved after World War II, but was re-established in 1991 by the Zachęta Gallery.

*** / The Fourth Flashback

You musn`t go to May 3rd demonstration – a history teacher said – We might be in trouble if you do.

There was silence. We were sitting in history faculty class and nobody spoke. Another Constitution Day considered by regime as illegal. We were not going to celebrate contemporary constitution. It was about the first Polish government act which remained in force for less than 19 months but became so significant. May 3rd was declared a holiday 2 days after it was officially adopted by Parliament.

The holiday was banned during the partitions of Poland but reinstated in April 1919 under the Second Polish Republic—the first holiday officially introduced in the newly independent country. It was again outlawed during World War II by both the Nazi and Soviet occupiers. It was celebrated in Polish cities in May 1945, although in a mostly spontaneous manner. The 1946 anti-communist demonstrations did not endear it to the Polish communists, and it competed for attention with the communist-endorsed May 1 Labor Day celebrations in the Polish People's Republic; this led to its "rebranding" as Democratic Party Day and removal from the list of national holidays by 1951. Until 1989, May 3rd was a frequent occasion for anti-government and anti-communist protests.

Each year my colleagues took part in illegal demonstrations. They operated in anti-communist underground. One of them Emil Barchański was likely to be murdered by Security Service (SB). And now history teacher was trying to avoid another tragedy and questioning at Mostowski Palace, Warsaw`s militia headquarters.

Like in previous years my colleagues took part in May 3rd demostration, too.

Września children strike

After the creation of the German Empire in 1871, Chancellor Otto von Bismarck set about uniting society morally and moulding a tolerably uniform German consciousness among the inhabitants of all the federated states that made up the Empire. The civil service and the education system intensified their activities when the “Kulturkampf” policy failed to deliver. A regulation designed to halt the further Polonisation of settlers from Bamberg had the Polish language removed from religious instruction and chanting in Rataje, outside Poznań, in 1882.

German was systematically introduced as the sole language of instruction in all other subjects as well. This soon led to widespread protests among pupils, the most famous of which were the events that took place in Września in 1901. The children refused to accept German textbooks, answered their teachers in Polish and even said their prayers in their native language. The pupils were punished with canings and after school detentions, which was standard practice in the educational system of the day. School pupils in many Polish cities Miłosław, Pleszew, Buk, Gostyń and Krobia soon joined in the strike. The German administration threatened that the students would not be allowed to finish school. Adults involved in the protests were put on trial for public disturbance, preventing the officials from carrying out their duties, trespassing, and similar crimes. 26 people were officially charged, and on  November 19th 1901 20 individuals were sentenced to imprisonment from several weeks to over two years. Polish activists formed two committees to support families whose members were imprisoned. The German administration soon disbanded the committees, and in turn charged the activists.

Despite the trial, the protests continued. Some parents moved their children to other schools; while the school officials constructed a barrack where protesting children were isolated. Use of Polish language was banned on the school grounds, and police were charged with enforcing student attendance. After amnesty for children was declared in 1903, the number of children who kept refusing to take the German religion lessons diminished. The last of the striking children gave up by the summer of 1904.

The protestant college at the bottom of my heart

In 1905 College of Ecclesiastical congregation of the Evangelical - Augsburg appointed at the request of Fr. Julian Machlejd, Preparatory Committee for the opening of the municipal school with Polish language of instruction. Patron of the school was Mikołaj Rej. In 1906, 200 students began the first year of study. Pupils took part in military independence organizations. During World War II, approx. 300 teachers, pupils and high school students got killed. In 1940. It began secret education. During the Warsaw Uprising part of the building was demolished. Classes were resumed on September 1, 1947. Since 1949 learning took place at the building of the school. The facility was nationalized in 1952.

***

The College of Ecclesiastical congregation of the Evangelical – Augsburg which happened to be my high school was the reason I told you about Stanisław Małachowski Square which is so small and that significant for Polish history. I hope I haven`t made you bored and you would like to visit Warsaw.

See you there!

Photos by Michał Stanisławski

The Holy Trinity Evangelical Church of the Augsburg Confession 

 Mikołaj Rej lycee

 

The basement where Polish bard Jacek Kaczmarski gave a recital.

My high school

 Zachęta Gallery

The venue where Gabriel Naurtowicz, the first president of Poland was shot in his first week of assuming office. 

Local clubs 

A fairy-tale-like edifice in its third incarnation

The text was published at http://www.communications-unlimited.nl/a-fairy-tale-like-edifice-in-its-third-incarnation/

Polish capital has a lot to offer when it comes to old architectural marvels – three distinct castles and a couple of smaller ones are the best examples of rich history of Warsaw.

Out of those three castles, Ujazdów has the best vistas and is located in a very attractive neighborhood, in Warsaw’s Downtown (Śródmieście), surrounded by beautiful Agrykola park and also gives you an opportunity to witness the beauty of the Vistula River. 

The Ujazdów Castle (Zamek Ujazdowski) is a fairy-tale-like edifice in its third incarnation. Erected in the 1620s for King Sigimund III Vasa (Zygmunt III Waza) as his summer residence, it was burned down by the Nazis in 1944, blown up by the communists in 1954 and eventually rebuilt in the 1970s. At the time of research it housed changing exhibitions of modern art from the Centre for Contemporary Art (Centrum Sztuki Współczesnej). But beginnings of the Ujazdów Castle (Zamek Ujazdowski) date to the 13th century and neighbourhood even to earlier age. Already in the 12th century in that area there was a Polish borough Jazdów, the most significant area of ​​Warsaw of the time.

Jazdów - one-of-a-kind architectonic phenomenon

It was established to protect the crossing of the Vistula River (Wisła). Jazdów disappeared, however, as a result of the invasion of Lithuania in 1262 and fratricidal struggles in 1281, and as a result the castle was transferred to the north, where it gave rise to Old Warsaw (Stara Warszawa). Though none of the previously conducted archaeological research could not identify the exact location of Jazdów.

Jazdów – an oasis of greenery in the centre of the city – is an extraordinary place. This stretch of the Warsaw Escarpment (Skarpa Warszawska), running parallel to the Vistula River (Wisła), is the highest. The history of Jazdów, dating back to the 12th century, is older than the history of Warsaw (Warszawa) itself.

Although this area is a one-of-a-kind architectonic phenomenon: a unique colony of wooden single-family cottages unexpectedly sitting in the very centre of a populous capital city.

These so-called Finnish chalets were built after World War II as part of the war reparations Finland had to pay. They were erected in Warsaw in 1945 in three locations as temporary housing for architects and employees of the Office for Reconstruction of the Capital (“Biuro Odbudowy Stolicy”). Some were built next to the Polish parliament buildings, at the rear of the Ujazdów Park (Park Ujazdowski), and the area was christened Jazdów. Although these buildings still exist, their fate is uncertain.

The wooden manor for Queen Bona Sforza

The first castle on the spot was erected by the Dukes of Masovia as early as the 13th century. However, in the following century their court was moved to the future Royal Castle (Zamek Królewski) in Warsaw, and the Ujazdów Castle (Zamek Ujazdowski) fell into neglect. In the 16th century, a wooden manor house was built there for Queen Bona Sforza. It was surrounded by wonderful gardens, where Queen Bona lived after the death of her husband Sigimund I (Zygmunt I) of Poland. This Polish queen of Italian origin brought many popular vegetables to my country (hence, ‘soup vegetables’ are in Poland called ‘Italian vegetables’). Also because of her Poles started to eat Italian pasta and used root spices, which she loved.

It was at the Ujazdów Castle, on January 12, 1578, that Jan Kochanowski's blank-verse tragedy "The Dismissal of the Greek Envoys" (Odprawa posłów greckich) received its premiere during the wedding of Polish nobleman, magnate and Royal Secretary Jan Zamoyski and Krystyna Radziwiłł, a Polish-Lithuanian noblewoman.

Let me tell you a few words about Poland`s greatest poets. Jan Kochanowski was a Polish Renaissance poet who established poetic patterns that would become integral to the Polish literary language. He is commonly regarded as the greatest Polish poet before Adam Mickiewicz, and the greatest Slavic poet prior to the 19th century. Adam Mickiewicz in turn is regarded as national poet in Poland, Lithuania and Belarus. A principal figure in Polish Romanticism, he is counted one of Poland's "Three Bards" ("Trzej Wieszcze") and is widely regarded as Poland's greatest poet. He is also considered one of the greatest Slavic and European poets and has been dubbed a "Slavic bard". A leading Romantic dramatist, he has been compared in Poland and Europe to Byron and Goethe.

Now I am taking you back to the 17th century. In 1624 Polish king Sigismund III Vasa started the construction of a castle that was designed to serve as a comfortable retreat for monarchs. Namely the ruins of the castle of the Mazovian princes were incorporated into a new fortified manor built by the King for his son, future King Władysław IV Vasa. However, there is little evidence that the residence was ever used by the young prince, who spent much of his youth either at his father's court. Between 1659 and 1665, the building housed the mint of Titus Livius Boratini, who there struck his famous boratynka, a type of copper coin.

Again neglected, in 1674 the castle was bought by Stanisław Herakliusz Lubomirski, a Polish noble, politician, patron of the arts and writer and then rented to King Augustus II, who ordered the construction there of a new royal residence. The castle, incorporating much of the earlier constructions on the site, was built by Tylman of Gameren, a notable 17th-century architect and engineer. The gardens surrounding the castle, later divided into two separate parks, were refurbished. About that time the Łazienki Estate and Łazienki Palace were built. Łazienki literally mean "The Baths".

The castle's design was further modified by King Stanisław II August, who in 1764 commissioned the court architects of Polish kings Jakub Fontana (counted among the few esteemed Polish architects representing Franco-Italian trends), Dominik Merlini (most famous for his Royal Baths Park in Warsaw), Jean-Baptiste Pillement (a painter and designer, known for his exquisite and delicate landscapes) and Efraim Schroeger (a Polish architect of German origin) to refurbish it. The eastern and western façades were made taller by the addition of a second floor, while the post-Gameren outbuildings were also rebuilt to the height of the main building, thus creating a large courtyard. About that time, the castle was also included in the so-called Stanislavian Axis, a line of parks and palaces planned in the southern outskirts of Warsaw much like the Saxon Axis in the city centre (more about it you can find in the text about the Saxon Garden). The palace's reconstruction was almost complete by 1784, when work was abandoned and the building donated to the Polish Army.

Through the ages the Ujazdów castle was refurbed and modified to follow the newest technical and architectural trends.

The Ujazdów Hospital (Szpital Ujazdowski)

From 1809 (time of Partitions) till World War II the castle has been transformed into a hospital. During WWII, soldiers defending the city were brought to the Ujazdów Hospital to recover from various wounds and injuries. At the time of the occupation, the interior of the Ujazdów Castle had been burnt completely, with only the main walls remaining. After the war the communist regime which took over Poland decided to demolish the castle and only the spacious basement was left intact. Fortunately, it was rebuilt  in 1974.

The Centre for Contemporary Art (Centrum Sztuki Współczesnej)

At present, the Castle houses the Centre for Contemporary Art – a cultural institution and an excellent gallery. This is a place for the creation, presentation and documentation of contemporary art in all of its manifestations. The CSW (Centrum Sztuki Współczesnej) organizes exhibitions, presentations of visual theater, performances, concerts of contemporary music, experimental films and video art screenings, creative workshops, and numerous artistic events mixing the various genres and forms of art. The Ujazdów Castle (Zamek Ujazdowski) also operates as the Library and Artistic Reading Room, and the Videoteka (video library), releasing films of artistic events.

Agrykola Park

There is the Agricola Park, a historic area located in Warsaw, at the foot of the Ujazdów Castle and along Agrykola Street, adjacent to the Łazienki Park. This is a popular place of sport activities and family days out. You can spend lovely time there being in the city`s centre and not noticing traffic noise.  

Agrykola

Below the escarpment, east of the Castle, there is the street of the same name, where street gas lamps are hand lit by lighthouse keepers just before the dusk and put down at dawn. It`s worth visiting in late evening. You can have a very romantic walk there.

The Statue of John III Sobieski

Walking down Agrykola Street you can find the statue of Poland`s king John III Sobieski (Jan III Sobieski), most famous for his victory over the Turks at the 1683 Battle of Vienna. The statue depicts King astride a rearing horse which is trampling two fallen Turks. Sobieski is dressed like a Roman soldier, and holds a baton in his raised hand. The statue is modelled on the Baroque equestrian statue of Sobieski at Wilanów, as well as on Gianlorenzo Bernini’s equestrian statue of Louis XIV. The monument closes the north-facing visual perspective from the windows of the Salle de Salomon in the Palace on the Isle. The statue was officially unveiled on 14 September 1788 on the 105th anniversary of the Victory at Vienna. Stanisław August had a particularly high regard for King Jan III Sobieski. Not only did the statue express his deep respect for his predecessor, it also served as an element of anti-Turkish propaganda. It was installed at the commencement of the Russo-Turkish war in 1787. Poland was to have provided an army for Catherine the Great in the Turkish conflict. In this way Stanisław August hoped to strengthen Poland’s relations with Russia and protect his country from any further partitions. The statue of John III Sobieski was designed by the King’s principal sculptor, André Le Brun, and executed by Franciszek Pinck. It is a typically Baroque work and is the only free-standing statue to have been commissioned by Stanisław August (the second such statue in Warsaw after the Zygmunt Column). It was carved out of a sandstone block which had been earlier prepared in Sobieski’s lifetime.

The Botanical Garden

The Botanical Garden of the Warsaw University (Ogród Botaniczny Uniwersytetu Warszawskiego) set up in 1818. It is one of the world`s earliest botanical gardens, giving priority to Orto Botanico Di Padova established in 1545, Gardens of Versailles in 1661 and The Lost Gardens of Heligan, Mevagissey, England, in the middle of the 18th century. The Warsaw garden offers interesting specimens and nature trails and greenhouses. There are collections of plants that consist of over 10 thousand species. The garden may be visited from spring to autumn.

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I made many TV events on Agrykola. Two of them were "Powitanie lata z Jedynką" (Welcome Summer with TVP1) and "Pożegnanie lata z Jedynką" (Goodbye Summer with TVP1). We had live studio in the middle of steep stairs leading to the Ujazdów Castle from Agrykola and a control vehicle parked at the foot of it. I made thousand steps every time I worked there going between these two places and feeling my feet killing me. That`s why I suggest you should start visiting Agrykola with the Castle, then go down to Agrykola park and Agrykola street. Not backward. But you should go there to go back to the past and feel how it would be if you were born in royal family and then look to the future. I guarantee you will enjoy your time.

See you there!

Photos by Michał Stanisławski