Palace on the Isle
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The Palace on the Isle ( pl, Pałac Na Wyspie), also known as Baths Palace ( pl, Pałac Łazienkowski), is a
classicist Classics or classical studies is the study of classical antiquity. In the Western world, classics traditionally refers to the study of Classical Greek and Roman literature and their related original languages, Ancient Greek and Latin. Cla ...
palace in
Warsaw Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland, and its population is officiall ...
's Royal Baths Park, the city's largest park, occupying over 76 hectares of the city center. From 1674 the property and the nearby Ujazdów Castle belonged to Count Stanisław Herakliusz Lubomirski, who commissioned a
Baroque The Baroque (, ; ) is a style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1750s. In the territories of the Spanish and Portuguese empires including ...
bath house called "Łazienka", similarly to a number of other European historic sites, including England's city of
Bath Bath may refer to: * Bathing, immersion in a fluid ** Bathtub, a large open container for water, in which a person may wash their body ** Public bathing, a public place where people bathe * Thermae, ancient Roman public bathing facilities Plac ...
. The building, erected on a square plan, was richly decorated with
stuccos Stucco or render is a construction material made of aggregates, a binder, and water. Stucco is applied wet and hardens to a very dense solid. It is used as a decorative coating for walls and ceilings, exterior walls, and as a sculptural and ...
, statues, and paintings; some of the original decorations and architectural details survive. In 1766 King Stanislaus Augustus purchased the estate and converted the bathing pavilion into a classicist summer residence, with an English garden. During the final stages of
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
, the retreating Germans devastated the interior of the Palace and drilled holes in the structure in preparation for destruction. However, the plan was never carried out.


History

The building began as a bathhouse for Stanisław Herakliusz Lubomirski, owner of adjacent Ujazdów Castle. After 1678 the Lubomirski palace complex in Ujazdów, was enriched with four park pavilions: '' Arcadia'', '' Hermitage'', '' Frascati'' and the largest of them the ''Bathhouse''. The marble building was constructed before 1683 according to design by Tylman Gamerski. Finished in 1689, it was intended to serve as a bathhouse, habitable pavilion and a garden
grotto A grotto is a natural or artificial cave used by humans in both modern times and antiquity, and historically or prehistorically. Naturally occurring grottoes are often small caves near water that are usually flooded or often flooded at high t ...
. Interiors of the newly built structure were embellished with profuse
stucco Stucco or render is a construction material made of aggregates, a binder, and water. Stucco is applied wet and hardens to a very dense solid. It is used as a decorative coating for walls and ceilings, exterior walls, and as a sculptural and a ...
decorations, also designed by Gamerski. Among the decorations were water deities (like Nereus), surrounding the main decorational feature of the pavilion - the fountain. Other chambers had richly decorated ''
plafond A plafond (French for "ceiling"), in a broad sense, is a (flat, vaulted or dome) ceiling. A plafond can be a product of monumental painting or sculpture. Picturesque plafonds can be painted directly on plaster (as a fresco, oil, glutinous, sy ...
s'' and '' supraportes'', while the walls were covered with Delft tiles. The façades and interiors were decorated with sculptures, reliefs, Latin inscriptions (''Musa Dryas, Nymphaeque boves et Pastor Apollo / Hic maneant, fugiat diva Minerva domus'' - ''
Muse In ancient Greek religion and mythology, the Muses ( grc, Μοῦσαι, Moûsai, el, Μούσες, Múses) are the inspirational goddesses of literature, science, and the arts. They were considered the source of the knowledge embodied in ...
, dryad and nymphs, bullocks and
Apollo Apollo, grc, Ἀπόλλωνος, Apóllōnos, label=genitive , ; , grc-dor, Ἀπέλλων, Apéllōn, ; grc, Ἀπείλων, Apeílōn, label=Arcadocypriot Greek, ; grc-aeo, Ἄπλουν, Áploun, la, Apollō, la, Apollinis, label= ...
the
shepherd A shepherd or sheepherder is a person who tends, herds, feeds, or guards flocks of sheep. ''Shepherd'' derives from Old English ''sceaphierde (''sceap'' 'sheep' + ''hierde'' ' herder'). ''Shepherding is one of the world's oldest occupations, ...
let stay here, the divine
Minerva Minerva (; ett, Menrva) is the Roman goddess of wisdom, justice, law, victory, and the sponsor of arts, trade, and strategy. Minerva is not a patron of violence such as Mars, but of strategic war. From the second century BC onward, the R ...
let disdain this house'' on the portal of the southern façade) and
Lubomirski coat of arms The House of Lubomirski is a Polish princely family. The Lubomirski family's coat of arms is the Drużyna coat of arms, which is similar to the Szreniawa coat of arms but without a cross. Origin and the coat of arms The Lubomirski f ...
- ''Szreniawa''. King Stanislaus Augustus decided to convert it into private quarters, and it was remodeled by
Domenico Merlini Domenico Merlini () (22 February 1730 – 20 February 1797) was an Italian-Polish architect whose work was mostly in the classical style. Life and Style From 1750 till his death, Merlini lived in Poland. In 1768, he became a nobleman and later ...
between 1764 and 1795. During World War II, the Germans drilled holes into the walls for explosives but never got around to blowing up the palace. Afterwards the palace served as a barracks.


Architecture

The palace is built on an artificial island that divides the lake into two parts, a smaller northern lake and a larger southern one. The palace is connected to the surrounding park by two Ionic colonnaded bridges. The façades are unified by an
entablature An entablature (; nativization of Italian , from "in" and "table") is the superstructure of moldings and bands which lies horizontally above columns, resting on their capitals. Entablatures are major elements of classical architecture, and ...
carried by giant Corinthian pilasters that link its two floors and are crowned by a balustrade that bears statues of mythologic figures. The north façade is relieved by a central pedimented portico. On the south front, a deep central recess lies behind a screen of
Corinthian column The Corinthian order ( Greek: Κορινθιακός ρυθμός, Latin: ''Ordo Corinthius'') is the last developed of the three principal classical orders of Ancient Greek architecture and Roman architecture. The other two are the Doric order ...
s.


Interiors

On the palace's ground floor is the Bacchus Room, decorated with 17th-century Dutch blue tiles and a painting by
Jacob Jordaens Jacob (Jacques) Jordaens (19 May 1593 – 18 October 1678) was a Flemish painter, draughtsman and tapestry designer known for his history paintings, genre scenes and portraits. After Peter Paul Rubens and Anthony van Dyck, he was the leading ...
depicting ''Silenus and Bacchantes''. The 1778 ceiling painting, ''Bacchus, Ceres, Venus and Cupid'' by Jan Bogumił Plersch, was burned by German forces in 1944. The Rotunda, designed by
Domenico Merlini Domenico Merlini () (22 February 1730 – 20 February 1797) was an Italian-Polish architect whose work was mostly in the classical style. Life and Style From 1750 till his death, Merlini lived in Poland. In 1768, he became a nobleman and later ...
, occupies the central portion of the palace. Decorated in yellow and white marble, with figures of the Polish kings, it is one of the most important examples of neoclassical decoration within the palace. It leads to the Bath Room and the Ballroom. On the other side of the Rotunda is the lower Picture Gallery, which contains works by
Rubens Sir Peter Paul Rubens (; ; 28 June 1577 – 30 May 1640) was a Flemish artist and diplomat from the Duchy of Brabant in the Southern Netherlands (modern-day Belgium). He is considered the most influential artist of the Flemish Baroque traditio ...
and
Rembrandt Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn (, ; 15 July 1606 – 4 October 1669), usually simply known as Rembrandt, was a Dutch Golden Age painter, printmaker and draughtsman. An innovative and prolific master in three media, he is generally cons ...
, and the chapel. Also on the ground floor is the Dining Room in which the famous Thursday Dinners took place, to which King Stanislaus Augustus invited leading
Freemasons Freemasonry or Masonry refers to fraternal organisations that trace their origins to the local guilds of stonemasons that, from the end of the 13th century, regulated the qualifications of stonemasons and their interaction with authorities ...
and other notables of the Polish Enlightenment. Its furniture and paintings are in the
Classicist style Classicism, in the arts, refers generally to a high regard for a classical period, classical antiquity in the Western tradition, as setting standards for taste which the classicists seek to emulate. In its purest form, classicism is an aestheti ...
. The Solomon Room, one of the largest of the palace's ground-floor interiors, was embellished with a series of paintings depicting the ''History of Solomon''. It comprised six paintings: ''The Dream of Solomon'' (
plafond A plafond (French for "ceiling"), in a broad sense, is a (flat, vaulted or dome) ceiling. A plafond can be a product of monumental painting or sculpture. Picturesque plafonds can be painted directly on plaster (as a fresco, oil, glutinous, sy ...
), ''The Queen of Sheba before Solomon'', ''The Judgment of Solomon'', ''Consultation with King Hiram'' (friezes), ''Dedication of the Temple'' and ''Solomon's Sacrifice'' (walls). They were executed for Stanislaus Augustus in 1791–93 by Marcello Bacciarelli and depicted the monarch himself as the biblical king. All these paintings were deliberately and completely destroyed by the Germans in 1944 (burned in a fire before the palace) during the preparations to blow up the building. On the first floor are the royal apartments, the upper picture gallery, the balcony room, the king's cabinet, the royal bed chambers, the cloakroom, and the officer's room. In the years 2012–2015, the palace underwent further renovations, which covered the roof as well as all the rooms of the palace including the Ball Room in which 17th-century wall paintings by Jan Bogumił Plersch were unveiled. In 2016, the palace and park received an estimated 2.1 million visitors.


Gallery

File:Pałac na wyspie, Łazienki Królewskie.jpg, The northern
façade A façade () (also written facade) is generally the front part or exterior of a building. It is a loan word from the French (), which means ' frontage' or ' face'. In architecture, the façade of a building is often the most important aspect ...
of the palace File:2018-07-07 Ogród Królewski w warszawskich Łazienkach 03.jpg, A bridge leading to the palace File:Łazienki - Pałac na wodzie - 20.jpg, A statue depicting the Allegory of the Bug River File:Pałac Na Wodzie - Łazienki Królewskie (16130897659).jpg, A lake surrounding the palace File:Pałac na Wodzie w zespole pałacowo-parkowym Łazienki, KK.jpg, The palace and park File:Pałac na wodzie nocą - panoramio.jpg, Palace on the Isle at night
File:Rubens Jacqueline de Caestre.jpg, ''Portrait of Jacqueline de Caestre'',
Peter Paul Rubens Sir Peter Paul Rubens (; ; 28 June 1577 – 30 May 1640) was a Flemish artist and diplomat from the Duchy of Brabant in the Southern Netherlands (modern-day Belgium). He is considered the most influential artist of the Flemish Baroque tradit ...
, ca. 1618 File:Rubens Jean Charles de Cordes.jpg, ''Portrait of Jean Charles de Cordes'', Peter Paul Rubens, ca. 1618 File:Brueghel the Younger Temptation of St. Anthony.jpg, '' Temptation of St. Anthony'', Jan Brueghel the Younger, 17th century File:Dyck Philip Herbert.jpg, ''Portrait of
Philip Herbert, 4th Earl of Pembroke Philip Herbert, 4th Earl of Pembroke and 1st Earl of Montgomery, (10 October 158423 January 1650) was an English courtier, nobleman, and politician active during the reigns of James I and Charles I. Philip and his older brother William we ...
'',
Anthony van Dyck Sir Anthony van Dyck (, many variant spellings; 22 March 1599 – 9 December 1641) was a Brabantian Flemish Baroque artist who became the leading court painter in England after success in the Southern Netherlands and Italy. The seventh ...
, ca, 1634 File:Somer Francis Bacon.jpg, ''Portrait of
Francis Bacon Francis Bacon, 1st Viscount St Alban (; 22 January 1561 – 9 April 1626), also known as Lord Verulam, was an English philosopher and statesman who served as Attorney General and Lord Chancellor of England. Bacon led the advancement of both ...
'',
Frans Pourbus the Younger Frans Pourbus the Younger (1569–1622) was a Flemish painter, son of Frans Pourbus the Elder and grandson of Pieter Pourbus. He was born in Antwerp and died in Paris. He is also referred to as "Frans II". Pourbus worked for many of the highl ...
, 1617 File:Jordaens Silenus and Bacchantes.jpg, ''Silenus and Bacchantes'',
Jacob Jordaens Jacob (Jacques) Jordaens (19 May 1593 – 18 October 1678) was a Flemish painter, draughtsman and tapestry designer known for his history paintings, genre scenes and portraits. After Peter Paul Rubens and Anthony van Dyck, he was the leading ...
, first half of 17th century File:Bacciarelli Allegory of Graciousness.jpg, ''Allegory of Graciousness'', Marcello Bacciarelli, ca. 1792 File:Zaleski Royal Baths Palace in summer.jpg, ''View of the Royal Baths Palace in Summer'',
Marcin Zaleski Marcin Zaleski (1796 – 16 September 1877) was a Polish painter, a representative of Neoclassicism, considered the greatest Polish vedutist of the 19th century. He mostly painted the cityscapes of Warsaw, Kraków and Vilnius. Biography ...
, ca. 1837 File:Italy Allegory of Africa.jpg, ''Allegory of Africa'', turn of 17/18th century File:China Earthenware pot with a lid.jpg, China
earthenware Earthenware is glazed or unglazed nonvitreous pottery that has normally been fired below . Basic earthenware, often called terracotta, absorbs liquids such as water. However, earthenware can be made impervious to liquids by coating it with a c ...
, 18th century File:Japan Imari vase with Foo Dog.jpg, Japanese Imari vase with Foo Dog, late 18th century File:Le Brun Rococo putto.jpg, A Rococo putto by André Le Brun, ca. 1783 File:Savini Peter Table top with a bull.jpg, Table top with a bull by Pompeo Savini, ca. 1788


See also

*
Baroque in Poland The Polish Baroque lasted from the early 17th to the mid-18th century. As with Baroque style elsewhere in Europe, Poland's Baroque emphasized the richness and triumphant power of contemporary art forms. In contrast to the previous, Renaissance sty ...
* Polish classicism *
List of most visited palaces and monuments This is a list of the most visited national monuments, including palaces, historical monuments and historic sites. It does not include churches, religious shrines and pilgrimage sites . Sources used to compile the list include an annual s ...


Notes


Further reading

*
Władysław Tatarkiewicz Władysław Tatarkiewicz (; 3 April 1886, Warsaw – 4 April 1980, Warsaw) was a Polish philosopher, historian of philosophy, historian of art, esthetician, and ethicist. Early life and education Tatarkiewicz began his higher education at ...
, ''Łazienki warszawskie'' (Warsaw's Łazienki), ith photographs byEdmund Kupiecki, Warsaw, Wydawnictwo Arkady, 1968. (Polish-language text, with summaries in English, French, and Russian.) *
Władysław Tatarkiewicz Władysław Tatarkiewicz (; 3 April 1886, Warsaw – 4 April 1980, Warsaw) was a Polish philosopher, historian of philosophy, historian of art, esthetician, and ethicist. Early life and education Tatarkiewicz began his higher education at ...
, ''Łazienki królewskie i ich osobliwości'' (The Royal Baths and Their Curiosities), ith photographs byKrzysztof Jabłoński, Warsaw, Wydawnictwo Arkady, 1986, . (Polish-language text, with summaries in English, French, German, and Russian.)


External links

*
Official site
*

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lazienki Palace Palaces in Warsaw Residences of Polish monarchs Royal residences in Poland Neoclassical architecture in Warsaw Neoclassical palaces Houses completed in 1689 Registered museums in Poland Museums in Warsaw Historic house museums in Poland 1680s in Poland 1689 establishments in Europe 17th-century establishments in Poland