Łazienki Park� � � � � � � � � � � � �

The centrepiece of the Royal Baths: the Palace on the Island.

Anyone who still thinks that Warsaw is a city of cement and concrete has clearly never been to the city’s incomparable Łazienki Park� This glorious 74-hectare green space is one of Warsaw’s unparalleled highlights, adored by locals and visitors alike� In the summer months, seemingly the entire city flocks here on Sundays (don’t worry, it’s so vast it never feels crowded) and in the autumn and winter it becomes an evocative backdrop for twilight trysts with monumental architecture peeking out if the mists� Łazienki is a wonderful place to escape the capital’s modern-day gloom and get lost in its nostalgic past�

The full/proper name of today’s park is ‘Łazienki Królewskie,’ which means ‘Royal Baths’ and is derived from the park’s centrepiece and best-known attraction, the Palace on the Island (p�36)� The palace was originally built in the 17th century as a private bathhouse for Stanisław Herakliusz Lubomirski, owner of the adjacent Ujazdowski Castle and much of the surrounding land (and much of Poland, come to mention it)� The bathhouse was bought by the last king of Poland, Stanisław August Poniatowski, in 1772 and converted into a private residence (thus taking the name Palace on the Island)� It was at this time that the grounds were formally laid out as a private garden, most of the landscaping being carried out to the designs of Karol Ludwig Agricola and Karol Schultz� Perfect for romantic strolls, family picnics or cultural outings, today the park is packed with gorgeous sculptures, palatial architecture, historical buildings, monuments, museums, bridges, ponds, cafes, restaurants and more� With so much to see and explore, don’t be surprised to find yourself spending the better part of a day here�

Tickets & Info

While the park is free to wander and enjoy, Łazienki’s cultural attractions and indoor exhibits require a ticket� To ensure that your pockets don’t fill with litter, there is now only one ticket, available at each site, which provides entry to almost all of the park’s paid sites, currently the Palace on the Island, Old Orangery, Myślewicki Palace and Officer Cadets School� The details of that ticket are listed below and all of those listed sites also have the same opening hours� [Note that the Museum of Hunting & Horsemanship also has the same hours, but a separate ticket is required�] Q J-11, ul. Agrykola 1, [M] Politechnika, tel. (+48) 22 506 00 28, www.lazienki-krolewskie.pl. Park open 05:00-22:00. Indoor exhibits open 10:00-16:00; Fri, Sat, Sun 10:00-18:00; closed Mon. Combined ticket for attractions, 40/20zł; kids under 7 free; students under 26, 4zł; Fri free. Audioguide 3zł. Guided tours in English 160zł per groups of up to 10 people.

Łazienki’s iconic Chopin monument� Photo by Marcin Chodorowski�

Getting To & Around Łazienki

Any number of buses stop in front of the park’s three main entrances on ‘Al. Ujazdowskie’, including numbers 116, 222 and 503 from the Old Town/Nowy Świat� Bus 108 takes you from ‘Plac Trzech Krzyży’ to stop ‘Agrykola’ on the park’s eastern edge - bus 162 gets you to the same location but from the Praga disctrict at stop Dw� Wileński� From the city centre the easiest way of reaching Łazienki is to take trams 18 and 35 from ‘Centrum’ (or 4 and 10 from ‘Dw� Centralny’) to ‘Pl� Unii Lubelskiej,’ and walk 300 metres along ul� Bagatela to the park’s southern entrance, in front of the Belvedere Palace� Accurate times and routes can be checked online at warsaw.jakdojade.pl�

Orientation around the park is relatively easy given the prominent placement of maps and signs - in Polish and English - in key locations� There is also a very good Łazienki complex map (again, in Polish and English) which can be picked up for free from the Palace on the Island�

If you enter the park via any of the western entrances on Al� Ujazdowskie, chances are you will end up, willingly or not, via some surprisingly hilly paths set with tall trees, at the vast artificial lake in the park’s centre, straddled by the magnificent Palace on the Island� In doing so however, you risk missing out on a few treasures, such as the Museum of Hunting & Horsemanship, so try to circumnavigate the park instead� Belvedere Palace

The Belvedere Palace was the residence of Polish presidents from 1918 to 1995 and then once again during the presidency of Bronisław Komorowski from 2010-2015 (Presidents Aleksander Kwaśniewski, Lech Kaczyński and current president Andrzej Duda opted to live in the Presidential Palace on ul� Krakowskie Przedmieście (p�32)� Built in 1694 and thoroughly remodelled in 1818, the building is off-limits to visitors but an eyeful to behold� For the best views of the palace and some outstanding photo opportunities you should look at it from Al� Ujazdowskie: it is a wonder of Neo-Classical design, complete with tympanium and oversized Corinthian columns� QH-12, ul. Belwederska 56.

Chopin Monument & Temple of Sibyl

Sculpted by Wacław Szymanowski and unveiled in 1926, this iconic munment depicts Chopin sitting right here in Łazienki, next to a willow tree� The original sculpture was destroyed during WWII, and the one we admire today went up in 1958� Almost hidden in the trees a few metres from Chopin is the astonishing Temple of Sibyl (closed to the public), an 1820s replica Greek Temple built entirely of wood� Look out too for a gaggle of other little buildings near here such as the Hermitage, the Egyptian Temple and the Water Tower�QI-12.

Palace on the Island

The Palace on the Island is Łazienki’s raison d’etre� The palace - completed in 1683 to designs by Tylman Gamerski - was originally a bathhouse, and converted into a residence in the late 1700s by Stanisław August Poniatowski� The palace is built on an artificial island that divides the lake into two parts, and is connected to the surrounding park by two colonnaded bridges� The façades are unified by giant Corinthian pilasters that link its two floors and are crowned by a balustrade that bears statues of mythological figures� Today a museum, almost all of the palace can be visited, including the main reception room, Solomon’s Hall, decorated in extravagant of Baroque paintings depicting the History of Solomon� They were executed for King Stanisław Augustus in 1791–93 by Marcello Bacciarelli and depicted the monarch himself as the biblical king� Many of the king’s personal rooms are also open to the public, set in their original context�QI-11.