Tin-roofed Palace, Warsaw
Encyclopedia
The Copper-Roof Palace is an 18th-century palace in Warsaw
, Poland
. It takes its unusual name (which is less precisely phrased in the Polish original) from its copper
roof
— a rarity in the first half of the 18th century. The palace since 1989 is a branch of the Royal Castle Museum
.
The palace is contiguous with Warsaw's Royal Castle, and down a slope from the Castle Square and Old Town
. Beneath the palace, a 17th-century lodge still exists.
, it was completely remodeled in 1698-1701 for Jerzy Dominik Lubomirski
.
Lubomirski expanded the palace by building a southern wing, perpendicular to the rest of structure, and also expanded the western elevation. Shortly after its construction the palace became known as Palais Martin, after Lubomirski's grandson. In 1720 the palace was rebuilt with an addition of a second northern wing. Additionally the interior was decorated with rococo
paintings. After 1777 the palace passed into ownership of Poland's last king, Stanislaw August Poniatowski
, who hired the architect Domenico Merlini
to once again redesign the inside rooms of the palace and join the library wing of the Royal Castle to it. The king then made a present of the redecorated place to his nephew Prince Józef Poniatowski The younger Poniatowski was a successful commander in the 1794 Kościuszko Uprising
, and later one of Napoleon Bonaparte's marshal
s. Under his ownership the palace became a center of Warsaw's high class social scene. When Warsaw became part of Kingdom of Prussia
after the Third Partition of Poland
the buildings became the headquarters for the Prussian Ministry of War.
The Copper-Roof Palace was burned in 1944 and reconstructed, based on paintings of Bernardo Bellotto
, between 1948-1949.
Warsaw
Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
, Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
. It takes its unusual name (which is less precisely phrased in the Polish original) from its copper
Copper
Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu and atomic number 29. It is a ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. Pure copper is soft and malleable; an exposed surface has a reddish-orange tarnish...
roof
Roof
A roof is the covering on the uppermost part of a building. A roof protects the building and its contents from the effects of weather. Structures that require roofs range from a letter box to a cathedral or stadium, dwellings being the most numerous....
— a rarity in the first half of the 18th century. The palace since 1989 is a branch of the Royal Castle Museum
Royal Castle, Warsaw
The Royal Castle in Warsaw is a castle residency and was the official residence of the Polish monarchs. It is located in the Castle Square, at the entrance to the Warsaw Old Town. The personal offices of the king and the administrative offices of the Royal Court of Poland were located there from...
.
The palace is contiguous with Warsaw's Royal Castle, and down a slope from the Castle Square and Old Town
Warsaw Old Town
Warsaw's Old Town is the oldest historic district of the city. It is bounded by Wybrzeże Gdańskie, along the bank of the Vistula, and by Grodzka, Mostowa and Podwale Streets. It is one of Warsaw's most prominent tourist attractions....
. Beneath the palace, a 17th-century lodge still exists.
History
Originally a patrician house of Wawrzyniec Reffus, built 1651-1656. After 1657 destruction by the army of George II RákócziGeorge II Rákóczi
György Rákóczi II , a Transylvanian Hungarian ruler, was the eldest son of George I and Susanna Lorantffy....
, it was completely remodeled in 1698-1701 for Jerzy Dominik Lubomirski
Jerzy Dominik Lubomirski
Prince Jerzy Dominik Lubomirski was a Polish noble .He was the son of Grand Marshal and Hetman Jerzy Sebastian Lubomirski and Barbara Tarło. In 1695 he married Urszula of Altenbockum. The marriage was dissolved by the Pope and c...
.
Lubomirski expanded the palace by building a southern wing, perpendicular to the rest of structure, and also expanded the western elevation. Shortly after its construction the palace became known as Palais Martin, after Lubomirski's grandson. In 1720 the palace was rebuilt with an addition of a second northern wing. Additionally the interior was decorated with rococo
Rococo
Rococo , also referred to as "Late Baroque", is an 18th-century style which developed as Baroque artists gave up their symmetry and became increasingly ornate, florid, and playful...
paintings. After 1777 the palace passed into ownership of Poland's last king, Stanislaw August Poniatowski
Stanislaw August Poniatowski
Stanisław II August Poniatowski was the last King and Grand Duke of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth...
, who hired the architect Domenico Merlini
Domenico Merlini
Domenico Merlini was an Italian-Polish architect whose work was mostly in the classical style.-Life and Style:...
to once again redesign the inside rooms of the palace and join the library wing of the Royal Castle to it. The king then made a present of the redecorated place to his nephew Prince Józef Poniatowski The younger Poniatowski was a successful commander in the 1794 Kościuszko Uprising
Kosciuszko Uprising
The Kościuszko Uprising was an uprising against Imperial Russia and the Kingdom of Prussia led by Tadeusz Kościuszko in Poland, Belarus and Lithuania in 1794...
, and later one of Napoleon Bonaparte's marshal
Marshal of France
The Marshal of France is a military distinction in contemporary France, not a military rank. It is granted to generals for exceptional achievements...
s. Under his ownership the palace became a center of Warsaw's high class social scene. When Warsaw became part of Kingdom of Prussia
Kingdom of Prussia
The Kingdom of Prussia was a German kingdom from 1701 to 1918. Until the defeat of Germany in World War I, it comprised almost two-thirds of the area of the German Empire...
after the Third Partition of Poland
Third Partition of Poland
The Third Partition of Poland or Third Partition of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth took place in 1795 as the third and last of three partitions that ended the existence of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.-Background:...
the buildings became the headquarters for the Prussian Ministry of War.
The Copper-Roof Palace was burned in 1944 and reconstructed, based on paintings of Bernardo Bellotto
Bernardo Bellotto
Bernardo Bellotto was a Venitian urban landscape painter or vedutista, and printmaker in etching famous for his vedutes of European cities . He was the pupil and nephew of Canaletto and sometimes used the latter's illustrious name, signing himself as Bernardo Canaletto...
, between 1948-1949.
See also
- History of the Royal Castle in WarsawHistory of the Royal Castle in WarsawThe Royal Castle in Warsaw was a seat of the Sejm and Senate of the first Rzeczpospolita and also an official residence of the monarchs in Warsaw. It contained the offices of a number of political institutions, arranged around a central courtyard....
- Library at the Royal Castle, WarsawLibrary at the Royal Castle, WarsawThe Library at the Royal Castle is a large building adjacent to the Royal Castle in Warsaw, Poland. It was built between 1779 and 1783 according to design of Dominik Merlini and Jan Chrystian Kamsetzer in order to accommodate the royal collection of books belonging to King Stanisław August...