Warsaw, the capital of Poland, was heavily destroyed during WWII. That what was spared during massive bombings of 1939, was leveled to the ground after the Warsaw upheaval of 1944 >>>.
Also, the royal castle. Almost the whole structure had to be rebuilt, the interiors reconstructed. The castle, with its reconstructed interiors, although it was done very carefully, cannot compare by opulence to Versailles or Windsor. Still, the layout of the royal apartment is the same as in those other castles (palaces). It is consecutive chambers coming one after another in one line, with kings study and bedroom in the middle. The outside chambers served to receive guests.
After passing the one or the other royal chamber (the so-called king’s apartments), one gets the impression of being in the art gallery. Most of the primary tourist route leads through chambers with paintings either from the royal collection or of collections donated by the Polish nobility. All the paintings are of classic style. The last king of Poland was a declared art patron. He commissioned painters to make portraits, panoramas, and illustrations of historical events. One of the collections shows Warsaw main streets and buildings as they looked like in the XVIII century, another one – the most important events through the Polish history. The paintings of the royal gallery survived the war. They were protected by Poles or stolen by the Nazis and returned back by the Germans after the war.
Below some photo impressions:
The Ballroom.
The throne room.
A small chamber next to the throne room.
Some of the chambers are well equipped with mirrors to create a more in-depth perspective.
The king’s study.
The king’s bedroom.
One of the many historical pieces on display.
A chamber with walls almost entirely covered with paintings. The royal apartments are enlightened by chandeliers, so it is difficult to take photos of the gallery. This will change later, as the lights in chambers at the lower level were adjusted so one can admire paintings like in an art gallery.
Just a corridor, alongside the royal chambers. But still an art gallery.
Just one of many paintings.
The ceiling in one of the ground floor chambers.
A Dutch tapestry with royal emblem.
The silver collection on display.
The last chamber of the primary tourist route. A painting by Rembrandt donated to the castle by a noble family.