Ujazdów Castle () is a

castle A castle is a type of fortification, fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by Military order (monastic society), military orders. Scholars usually consider a ''castle'' to be the private ...

in the historic Ujazdów district, between Ujazdów Park (''Park Ujazdowski'') and the

Royal Baths Park Royal may refer to: People * Royal (name), a list of people with either the surname or given name * A member of a royal family or royalty Places United States * Royal, Arkansas, an unincorporated community * Royal, Illinois, a village * Royal ...

(''Łazienki Królewskie''), in

Warsaw Warsaw, officially the Capital City of Warsaw, is the capital and List of cities and towns in Poland, largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the Vistula, River Vistula in east-central Poland. Its population is officially estimated at ...

, Poland. Its beginnings date to the 13th century, and it was rebuilt several times. Like many structures in Warsaw, it sustained much damage in the

Warsaw Uprising The Warsaw Uprising (; ), sometimes referred to as the August Uprising (), or the Battle of Warsaw, was a major World War II operation by the Polish resistance movement in World War II, Polish underground resistance to liberate Warsaw from ...

(1944). Reconstructed 30 years later (1974), it now houses Warsaw's Center for Contemporary Art.

History

The first castle on the spot was erected by the Dukes of

Masovia Mazovia or Masovia ( ) is a historical region in mid-north-eastern Poland. It spans the North European Plain, roughly between Łódź and Białystok, with Warsaw being the largest city and Płock being the capital of the region . Throughout the ...

as early as the 13th century. However, in the following century their court was moved to the future Royal Castle in Warsaw, and the Ujazdów Castle fell into neglect. In the 16th century, a wooden manor was built there for Queen

Bona Sforza Bona Sforza (2 February 1494 – 19 November 1557) was Queen consort, Queen of Kingdom of Poland (1385–1569), Poland and List of Lithuanian consorts, Grand Duchess of Lithuania as the second wife of Sigismund the Old, and Duchess of Bari and ...

. It was at Ujazdów Castle, on January 12, 1578, that

Jan Kochanowski Jan Kochanowski (; 1530 – 22 August 1584) was a Polish Renaissance poet who wrote in Latin and Polish and established poetic patterns that would become integral to Polish literary language. He has been called the greatest Polish poet before ...

's blank-verse

tragedy A tragedy is a genre of drama based on human suffering and, mainly, the terrible or sorrowful events that befall a tragic hero, main character or cast of characters. Traditionally, the intention of tragedy is to invoke an accompanying catharsi ...

''The Dismissal of the Greek Envoys'' received its premiere during the wedding of

Jan Zamoyski Jan Sariusz Zamoyski (; 19 March 1542 – 3 June 1605) was a Polish nobleman, magnate, statesman and the 1st '' ordynat'' of Zamość. He served as the Royal Secretary from 1565, Deputy Chancellor from 1576, Grand Chancellor of the Crown f ...

and Krystyna Radziwiłł. Boratynkaa

The ruins of the castle of the Mazovian princes were then incorporated into a new fortified manor built by King

Sigismund III Vasa Sigismund III Vasa (, ; 20 June 1566 – 30 April 1632 N.S.) was King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1587 to 1632 and, as Sigismund, King of Sweden from 1592 to 1599. He was the first Polish sovereign from the House of Vasa. Re ...

for his son, future King

Władysław IV Vasa Władysław IV Vasa or Ladislaus IV (9 June 1595 – 20 May 1648) was King of Poland, Grand Duke of Lithuania and claimant of the thrones of Monarchy of Sweden, Sweden and List of Russian monarchs, Russia. Born into the House of Vasa as a prince ...

. 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. According to Adam Jarzębski's "Short Description of Warsaw" from 1643, the entrance to the Ujazdów Castle was adorned with four

marble Marble is a metamorphic rock consisting of carbonate minerals (most commonly calcite (CaCO3) or Dolomite (mineral), dolomite (CaMg(CO3)2) that have recrystallized under the influence of heat and pressure. It has a crystalline texture, and is ty ...

lion The lion (''Panthera leo'') is a large Felidae, cat of the genus ''Panthera'', native to Sub-Saharan Africa and India. It has a muscular, broad-chested body (biology), body; a short, rounded head; round ears; and a dark, hairy tuft at the ...

s ("I lwy cztery generalne, Między nimi, naturalne, Właśnie żywe wyrobione, A z marmuru są zrobione; Nie odlewane to rzeczy, Mistrzowską robotą grzeczy"). Between 1659 and 1665, the building housed the

mint Mint or The Mint may refer to: Plants * Lamiaceae, the mint family ** ''Mentha'', the genus of plants commonly known as "mint" Coins and collectibles * Mint (facility), a facility for manufacturing coins * Mint condition, a state of like-new ...

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 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 ''Eremity'' and Łazienki Palace were built. The castle's design was further modified by King Stanisław II August, who in 1764 commissioned Jakub Fontana, Dominik Merlini, Jean-Baptiste Pillement and Efraim Schroeger 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 center. The palace's reconstruction was almost complete by 1784, when work was abandoned and the building donated to the

Polish Army The Land Forces () are the Army, land forces of the Polish Armed Forces. They currently contain some 110,000 active personnel and form many components of the European Union and NATO deployments around the world. Poland's recorded military histor ...

. Consequently, between 1784 and 1789 the castle was yet again rebuilt, this time by

Stanisław Zawadzki Stanisław Zawadzki (1743–1806) was a Polish architect, representative of late-baroque and classicism, inclined towards Palladian architecture and precursor of the empire (style), empire style in Polish architecture, Major General of the Army ...

, who converted it into military barracks. The outbuildings were enlarged substantially. Since that time the building housed the Lithuanian Foot Guard Regiment and the 10th Foot Regiment. During the Kościuszko's Uprising the castle was the main centre of conscription for the 20th Foot Regiment. After the

Partitions of Poland The Partitions of Poland were three partition (politics), partitions of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth that took place between 1772 and 1795, toward the end of the 18th century. They ended the existence of the state, resulting in the eli ...

, during the

Prussia Prussia (; ; Old Prussian: ''Prūsija'') was a Germans, German state centred on the North European Plain that originated from the 1525 secularization of the Prussia (region), Prussian part of the State of the Teutonic Order. For centuries, ...

n occupation of Warsaw, the building was abandoned. After the proclamation of the

Duchy of Warsaw The Duchy of Warsaw (; ; ), also known as the Grand Duchy of Warsaw and Napoleonic Poland, was a First French Empire, French client state established by Napoleon Bonaparte in 1807, during the Napoleonic Wars. It initially comprised the ethnical ...

it was again restored to the army and was converted into a military hospital. However, the plans of converting it to the Central Military Hospital of the Polish Army were postponed by the

Congress of Vienna The Congress of Vienna of 1814–1815 was a series of international diplomatic meetings to discuss and agree upon a possible new layout of the European political and constitutional order after the downfall of the French Emperor Napoleon, Napol ...

which awarded the

Congress Poland Congress Poland or Congress Kingdom of Poland, formally known as the Kingdom of Poland, was a polity created in 1815 by the Congress of Vienna as a semi-autonomous Polish state, a successor to Napoleon's Duchy of Warsaw. It was established w ...

to Russia. On April 1, 1818 the

hospital A hospital is a healthcare institution providing patient treatment with specialized Medical Science, health science and auxiliary healthcare staff and medical equipment. The best-known type of hospital is the general hospital, which typically ...

was officially opened. It had places for up to 1000 wounded soldiers. After the outbreak of the

November Uprising The November Uprising (1830–31) (), also known as the Polish–Russian War 1830–31 or the Cadet Revolution, was an armed rebellion in Russian Partition, the heartland of Partitions of Poland, partitioned Poland against the Russian Empire. ...

the hospital was enlarged to 1250 beds and an additional annex with places for 600 was opened in the nearby Łazienki complex. Zamek Ujazdowski Canaletto

After the fall of the uprising, the Russian garrison of Warsaw was significantly strengthened, while the Polish military units were disbanded. A new central military hospital was built next to what became the Park Ujazdowski and the castle became more of a barrack for the Russian military personnel. Around 1850 the outbuildings were again rebuilt by Jerzy Karol Völck, but were partially demolished 20 years afterwards. After the outbreak of World War I the building was again converted to a provisional hospital by the Russians. Captured by the German army in 1915, on April 10, 1917 it was transferred to the Polish Legions and became the main military hospital for Polish units fighting alongside the

Central Powers The Central Powers, also known as the Central Empires,; ; , ; were one of the two main coalitions that fought in World War I (1914–1918). It consisted of the German Empire, Austria-Hungary, the Ottoman Empire, and the Kingdom of Bulga ...

(the more modern Ujazdów hospital located nearby remained a German-only hospital). After Poland regained her independence in 1918, the internal design of the castle was yet again modified. Since the 1920s it housed several parts of the Warsaw NCO school. The main staircase was restored to its 18th-century representative design. An interesting feature of the staircase was a set of stone tablets placed there May 15, 1927, commemorating the names of all known Polish military medics who perished in wars between 1797 and 1920. Additional tablets commemorated Karol Kaczkowski, Zdzisław Lubaszewski and a sculpture by Edward Wittig commemorating all military medics. After the Polish Defensive War of 1939, the Red Cross organized a school for WIA soldiers. The castle was burnt out and damaged by the Germans following the

of 1944. After the war, the building was to be rebuilt as the Central Military House. However, the works did not start as the walls of the castle were demolished by the Communist authorities of Poland in 1954. In 1975, however, the works on reconstruction of the castle to its 18th-century design were given a green light, and the project by Piotr Biegański was chosen. It houses Warsaw's Center for Contemporary Art (Centrum Sztuki Współczesnej) since 1985.

Centre for Contemporary Art

The castle houses the Centre for Contemporary Art, with its collections and temporary

exhibition An exhibition, in the most general sense, is an organized presentation and display of a selection of items. In practice, exhibitions usually occur within a cultural or educational setting such as a museum, art gallery, park, library, exhibiti ...

concert A concert, often known informally as a gig or show, is a live performance of music in front of an audience. The performance may be carried by a single musician, in which case it is sometimes called a recital, or by a musical ensemble such as an ...

s and educational workshops. The Centre has organized over 600 exhibitions since 1990. From 2010 to 2016, the Centre's director was an Italian, Fabio Cavallucci. In 2017, Piotr Bernatowicz was appointed director by the Polish culture minister Piotr Glinski, a member of the Law and Justice Party. In an email interview to the ''

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'', Bernatowicz said that the Polish art world is, in his words, "dominated by a left-wing, precisely neo-Marxist ideology... Artists who do not adopt this ideology are marginalized". The article further said that "Mr. Bernatowicz wants to change that and promote artists who have other views: conservative, patriotic, pro-family. His plans are transforming the museum into the latest battleground in Poland's culture wars, which pit liberals against the governing populist Law and Justice Party, as well as other conservative groups." Ujazdów Castle has exhibited numerous well known artists: *

Magdalena Abakanowicz Magdalena Abakanowicz (; 20 June 1930 – 20 April 2017) was a Polish sculpture, sculptor and fiber artist. Known for her use of textiles as a sculptural medium and for outdoor installations, Abakanowicz has been considered among the most influen ...

* Paweł Althamer * Eric Andersen * Janusz Bałdyga * Mirosław Bałka * Wojciech Bąkowski *

Krzysztof Bednarski Krzysztof Michał Bednarski (''KMB'') (25 July 1953 in Kraków) is a contemporary Polish-Italian sculptor. Life He was one of three sons of Irena and Jerzy Bednarski. Before the war, his parents lived in Lviv, Lwów on Kulparkowska Street. Bed ...

* Jerzy Bereś *

Christian Boltanski Christian Liberté Boltanski (6 September 1944 – 14 July 2021) was a French sculptor, photographer, painter, and film maker. He is best known for his photography installations and contemporary French conceptual style. Early life Boltanski wa ...

* Włodzimierz Borowski * George Brecht * Wojciech Bruszewski * Tomasz Ciecierski * Matt Collishaw * Atilla Csorgo * Zbigniew Dłubak *

Andrzej Dłużniewski Andrzej Dluzniewski (3 August 1939 – 16 December 2012) was considered one of the greatest contemporary Polish sculptors. He died in Warsaw Warsaw, officially the Capital City of Warsaw, is the capital and List of cities and towns in ...

* Stanisław Dróżdż * Edward Dwurnik * Stefan Gierowski * Zbigniew Gostomski * Maurycy Gomulicki * Katarzyna Górna * Izabella Gustowska * Lynn Hershman *

Jenny Holzer Jenny Holzer (born July 29, 1950) is an American neo-conceptual artist, based in Hoosick, New York. Her work focuses on the delivery of words and ideas in public spaces and includes large-scale installations, advertising billboards, projectio ...

IRWIN Irwin may refer to: Places ;United States * Irwin, California * Irwin, Idaho * Irwin, Illinois * Irwin, Iowa * Irwin, Nebraska * Irwin, Ohio * Irwin, Pennsylvania * Irwin, South Carolina * Irwin County, Georgia * Irwin Township, Venango Co ...

* Zuzanna Janin * Piotr Jaros * Zdzisław Jurkiewicz * Koji Kamoji * Ilya Kabakov * Jerzy Kałucki * Marek Kijewski *

Joseph Kosuth Joseph Kosuth (; born January 31, 1945) is a Hungarian-American conceptual artist, who lives in New York and Venice,

* Piotr Kowalski * Jarosław Kozłowski *

Katarzyna Kozyra Katarzyna Kozyra (born 1963) is a Polish video artist. She studied German studies at the Warsaw University, University of Warsaw (1985–1988). In 1993, she also graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw where she studied sculpture and Hoc ...

* Edward Krasiński * Barbara Kruger *

Zofia Kulik Zofia Kulik (born 1947 in Wrocław, Poland) is a Polish artist living and working in Łomianki (Warsaw), whose art combines political criticism with a feminist perspective. Career Kulik studied at the Sculpture Department of the Warsaw Acade ...

* Oleg Kulik * Paweł Kwiek * Natalia LL * Dominik Lejman * Norman Leto * Zbigniew Libera * Richard Long * Hanna Łuczak * Marcin Maciejowski * Robert Maciejuk * Jarosław Modzelewski * Teresa Murak * David Nash * Roman Opałka *

Tony Oursler Tony Oursler (born 1957) is an American multimedia and installation artist married to Jacqueline Humphries. He completed a Bachelor of Fine Arts at the California Institute of the Arts, Valencia, California, in 1979. His art covers a range of med ...

Dennis Oppenheim Dennis Oppenheim (September 6, 1938 – January 21, 2011) was an American conceptual artist, performance artist, earth artist, sculptor and photographer. Dennis Oppenheim's early artistic practice is an epistemological questioning about the na ...

Michelangelo Pistoletto Michelangelo Pistoletto (born 23 June 1933) is an Italian painter, action and object artist, and art theorist. Pistoletto is acknowledged as one of the main representatives of the Italian Arte Povera. His work mainly deals with the subject mat ...

* Wojciech Prażmowski * Mariola Przyjemska * Karol Radziszewski * Joanna Rajkowska * Józef Robakowski * Ursula von Rydingsvard * Wilhelm Sasnal * Mikołaj Smoczyński * Marek Sobczyk * Daniel Spoerri *

Henryk Stażewski Henryk Stażewski (pronounced: ; 9 January 1894 – 10 June 1988) was a Polish painter, visual artist and writer. Stażewski has been described as the "father of the Polish avant-garde" and is considered a pivotal figure in the history of Cons ...

* Andrzej Szewczyk * Leon Tarasewicz * Tomasz Vetulani * Aleksandra Waliszewska * Zbigniew Warpechowski *

Lawrence Weiner Lawrence Charles Weiner (February 10, 1942December 2, 2021) was an artist born and raised in New York City. One of the central figures in the formation of Conceptual Art in the 1960s, Lawrence Weiner explored the potentials of language as a scu ...

* Emmet Williams * Ryszard Winiarski * Krzysztof Wodiczko * Krzysztof Zarębski * Artur Żmijewski * Vasiliy Ryabchenko

Gallery

File:Exterior of the Ujazdów Castle 2.jpg, Ujazdów Castle File:Front facade of the Ujazdów Castle, Warsaw, 2019.jpg, Entrance to Castle File:Drottningholm Lejon entre 01.JPG,

Marble Marble is a metamorphic rock consisting of carbonate minerals (most commonly calcite (CaCO3) or Dolomite (mineral), dolomite (CaMg(CO3)2) that have recrystallized under the influence of heat and pressure. It has a crystalline texture, and is ty ...

lion from Ujazdów Castle by anonymous Italian scul-tor, 1630s, Drottningholm Palace File:Drottningholm lejon vid slottsentrén 03.jpg, Marble lion from Ujazdów Castle by anonymous Italian sculptor, 1630s, Drottningholm Palace File:Kanał Piaseczyński, widok z ul. Myśliwieckiej w kierunku Zamku Ujazdowskiego.jpg, Piaseczyński Canal seen from Myśliwiecka Street File:Kanał Piaseczyński widziany z tarasu Zamku Ujazdowskiego.jpg, View of Royal Canal from Castle terraces File:Ujazdowski Castle 02.jpg, Castle tower

Notes

References

Centre for Contemporary Art
*
Zamek ujazdowski
at warszawa1939.pl

External links