Poland: Warsaw, Wilanów Palace (Part 5)

Wilanów Palace ... the "Polish Versailles" ... a second home to many Polish kings. Wilanów is a borough of the city of Warsaw. The first mentions of a settlement in the area can be traced to the 13th century, when a village named Milanów was founded by the Benedictine monastery of Plock. In 1338 it became a private property of the Dukes of Masovia and in 1378 Prince Janusz gave it to one of his servants. It was he who established the first mansion and a chapel in the village. His descendants adopted the name Milanowski, after the name of the village. In the 17th century the village was bought by the family of Stanislaw Leszczynski, who started the construction of a new palace; however, the works were stopped by The Deluge when the forces of Sweden captured the area and plundered it completely.

In 1676 the depopulated village was bought by King Jan III Sobieski. By his order, Tylman van Gameren and August Locci erected the new baroque-style palace and St. Anne's Church. Initially the palace was named Villa Nova (New Village), to distinguish it from the nearby village of Stara Wies (Old Village). However, soon the name was polonised to Wilanów, similar to the former name Milanów. Thanks to the proximity of both the kings' summer residence and the city of Warsaw, Wilanów has for ages been a suburb of Warsaw and a popular holiday spot for Polish magnates. It was also the final point on the historical Royal Road. In the 18th century, the palace became the property of Hetman Adam Mikolaj Sieniawski.

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Travel & Events

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• Poland
• Warsaw
• Wilanów Palac
• Polish Versailles
• Travel
• Rozylowicz

[WojeWoda1990]

Nice video and good information.