Sundays in summer in Warsaw

It’s Sunday and the weather is beautiful. We and many other visitors are visiting Łazienki Park in Warsaw. The day simply invites to explore the largest park in the city and enjoy a free piano concert.

About Łazienki Park in Warsaw

The park in the district of Śródmieście was created in the 17th century. Its current form dates back to King Stanislaus August Poniatowski, who acquired the complex in 1764 and spent 30 years remodeling it to his liking. A large number of buildings were created, arranged around the Łazienki Lake and the small river. Unfortunately, most of the buildings burned down during the Warsaw Uprising in 1944. Since the building fabric was still reasonably well preserved, it was possible to quickly begin reconstruction.

Stroll through Łazienki Park

We enter the beautiful park through a side entrance and immediately enjoy the peace and relaxation away from the big city. Numerous paths lead through the green space and at first we just walk off without pursuing a specific way.

Old orangery

Our first port of call in the park is the Old Orangery, built between 1786 and 1788. It stands in the northwestern part of the park. Here the orange trees of the park overwintered.
Today it houses a gallery with over 700 exhibits of Polish sculpture from the 16th-20th centuries and a theater.

I really like the landscaped garden in front of the orangery.

Myślewicki-Palast

In search of a museum we passed by the Myślewicki Palace. The building was built from 1775 to 1779 by order of King Stanislaus August. Today inside you can see the original decoration of the dining room.

Łazienki-Palast

One destination of our trip was a visit to the Łazienki Palace, more precisely the Royal Łazienki Museum. But until we found it, it took a while. I have rarely seen such poorly marked places as the ticket booth or the museum entrance. The ticket booth was on the shore of the lake, on the door only a small sign and when we went in there two ticket sellers were bored. They just managed to look up from their cell phones and hand us the deposited tickets with some difficulty. In the museum we were almost alone there on the road and although the park was really full of people.

The palace and its museum are located on a small island in Lake Łazienki. It was built for Stanislaw Heraklius Lubomirski and later rebuilt for Stanislaus August Poniatowski.
In 1944, the German Wehrmacht burned down the estate. It was then rebuilt after the Second World War.

On a tour of the house, you can see the Baccus Room, the Ballroom, the Portrait Cabinet and the Palace Chapel. On the upper floor, you walk through the royal flats, another painting gallery and the officers’ room, among other things.

You can experience the tour with an audio guide, but there is also an information board in English in each room. We went without an audio guide and enjoyed the beauty of the rooms. I was impressed not only by the paintings but also by the statues and reliefs in the rooms.

Theatre on the island

Not far from the Łazienki Palace we discovered the Teatr na Wyspie. There is a stage in the middle of the park’s lake. Here, statues and ancient ruins form the stage set. For the audience, there are seats arranged in a semicircle at the edge of the lake. It reminds me a little of an old amphitheatre and I could well imagine watching a play here.

Classical enjoyment at the Fryderyk Chopin Monument in Łazienki Park

A special highlight takes place in summer in Łazienki Park directly at the Chopin monument. We had specially scheduled our visit for Sunday so as not to miss this free event. Chopin is played here by various artists.

You should be there in good time if you still want a seat on a bench or stairs – or just bring a blanket and make yourself comfortable in the shade under the trees.
There is a sun awning under the monument, there is a grand piano there and during our visit a pianist played various pieces by Chopin for almost 60 minutes. I am amazed at how quiet it was around us. Everyone, old and young – locals and tourists – listened to the music, enjoyed the sun’s rays and Sunday.
We too were sitting under a tree listening to the piano music and letting ourselves drift through the musical world of Chopin. A wonderful musical treat on a sunny Sunday.

Entrance fees:

Palais auf der Insel, Alte Orangerie, Schloss, Fähnrichschule
Adults: 40,- PLN

Discounts are offered.

Disclosure:
Admission to the Łazienki Palace was kindly provided free of charge by the Warsaw Tourism Board. Thank you very much! This report was written independently and reflects our own opinion only.