Presidential Palace

The Presidential Palace stands in central Warsaw on Krakowskie Przedmieście, a broad avenue lined with lime trees. Originally built in 1643 as a private mansion for Hetman Stanisław Koniecpolski, it passed through many owners before becoming a government seat. The present neoclassical building dates from 1818, when it was remodelled by Chrystian Piotr Aigner. Four stone lions guard the courtyard, and the Corinthian columns of the main façade remain unchanged since then. The palace has survived fires, wars and uprisings without losing its grand form. It shares its role as presidential residence with the nearby Belweder Palace. The palace has witnessed key moments in Polish and European history. In 1791, conspirators met here to draft the Constitution of 3 May, Europe’s first modern constitution. In 1818 it became the seat of the Polish Viceroy Józef Zajączek, a veteran of many campaigns. During the 19th century it hosted balls for visiting tsars and displayed Matejko’s huge painting of the Battle of Grunwald. In 1955 the Warsaw Pact was signed inside these rooms. After the Second World War it resumed its place as the seat of Poland’s Council of Ministers. Inside, visitors find the grand staircase added by Aigner, the vaulted ground floor preserved from the 17th century, and rooms decorated by Bolesław Podczaszyński after the 1852 fire. The colonnade hall still shows Matejko’s painting, and the courtyard lions flank the main entrance. Beyond the palace gates, Krakowskie Przedmieście stretches towards the Royal Castle, linking past and present along a single thoroughfare. The building’s calm façade belies the turbulent events it has survived.