DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.38678#0028
which, despite a large number of projects, had not been brought about at the Royal Castle -
were carried out in another castle: at U jazdów near Warsaw, which was the private property ol
Stanislas Augustus, sińce he had purchased it from the Lubomirski family when he came to
the throne. The reconstruction of the Ujazdów Castle, begun in 1766, was stopped in 1772. In
1784, the King gave away the castle building for barracks purposes to the Old Warsaw
township, and it was rebuilt by the architect Stanisław Zawadzki. In 1766-1771, when
Fontana furnished the first interiors at the Royal Castle in a new style, Domenico Merlini
created the only great, monumental architectural composition which, not only in design but
also in reality, in its finished construction, indicated the idea of architecture satisfying
Stanislas Augustus’ intentions in the first years of his rule. This architecture was neoclassical,
which was seen for example in the eight-column portico annexed to the eastern elevation of
the Ujazdów Castle, on the side of the Vistuła escarpment, and still morę specifically in the
lateral out-buildings, which were neoclassical in their simplicity of linę and their selection of
classical decorative motifs. In the same early years of Stanislas Augustus’ rule, between 1766
and 1771, there arose a large planning design called the Stanislas axis, designed perhaps by
Szreger. Based on the Ujazdowskie Avenue, from the central point of the Ujazdów Circus,
later called Na Rozdrożu, a system of intersecting avenues was designed, with a large circus
(today’s Plac Zbawiciela - Saviour’s Circus) and four smaller circuses, constituting a system
contained in the hexagon of the outer avenues. From Southwest, the whole was closed by the
linę of the so-called Lubomirski trenches of 1771. One of the exits from the town, which was
semi-circular in shape, was later rebuilt into Mokotowska Circus (now Plac Unii Lubelskiej -
Lublin Union Circus). The momemtum to be seen in the neoclassical expansion of the
Ujazdów Castle and large planning design at Ujazdów suggests the ways in which work at the
Royal Castle would have developed had the circumstances been favourable. Ujazdów also
confirms that the King was a firm neoclassicist in his taste from the time he came to the
throne, which is indicated by the neoclassical external architecture of the Ujazdów Castle,
designed by Merlini, and the neoclassical architecture of Fontana’s interiors at the Royal
Castle.
The setting in order of the area of the Ujazdów Zwierzyniec (closed hunting grounds),
simultaneously with the reconstruction of the castle, and the plans madę then indicate that
from the very beginning the King included the whole area in his project of the utilization of
the Ujazdów complex. The King, who was, however, also concerned with work on both the
Royal and Ujazdów Castles, initially neglected two pavilions built as early as the end of the
18th century by Marshal Stanisław Herakliusz Lubomirski, Łazienka (Bath-house) and
Ermitaż (Hermitage). Intensified work in the garden in 1773 suggests that the King had madę
up his mind then as to the park complex, intending that his summer residence should be
there. This is confirmed by the major repair and the partial reconstruction carried out in 1773
at Łazienka, where a bedchamber, an octohedral room on the ground floor and a study on the
first floor were furnished for the King, all in new, neoclassical architectural decoration. In
1777, the eastern and western parts of the first floor were added to Łazienka, and the building
thus remained until the changes in 1784.
The Łazienka pavilion, even following the expansion, was obviously not sufficient for the
needs of the King, his family, guests and court, and therefore, in 1774 and 1775, two new
dwelling pavilions, the White Pavilion and Myślewice, and some service buildings were built.
The two pavilions were set on a sąuare plan, both in the early neoclassical style, with interiors
mainly decorated with paintings; each, however, different and decorated in an individual
way. The frescoes were the work of Jan Bogumił Plersch, apart from Pillement the most
outstanding painter in this field at the court of Stanislas Augustus. From 1777 to the end of
the King’s rule, he was active at Łazienki, executing murals and ceiling paintings of varied
23
were carried out in another castle: at U jazdów near Warsaw, which was the private property ol
Stanislas Augustus, sińce he had purchased it from the Lubomirski family when he came to
the throne. The reconstruction of the Ujazdów Castle, begun in 1766, was stopped in 1772. In
1784, the King gave away the castle building for barracks purposes to the Old Warsaw
township, and it was rebuilt by the architect Stanisław Zawadzki. In 1766-1771, when
Fontana furnished the first interiors at the Royal Castle in a new style, Domenico Merlini
created the only great, monumental architectural composition which, not only in design but
also in reality, in its finished construction, indicated the idea of architecture satisfying
Stanislas Augustus’ intentions in the first years of his rule. This architecture was neoclassical,
which was seen for example in the eight-column portico annexed to the eastern elevation of
the Ujazdów Castle, on the side of the Vistuła escarpment, and still morę specifically in the
lateral out-buildings, which were neoclassical in their simplicity of linę and their selection of
classical decorative motifs. In the same early years of Stanislas Augustus’ rule, between 1766
and 1771, there arose a large planning design called the Stanislas axis, designed perhaps by
Szreger. Based on the Ujazdowskie Avenue, from the central point of the Ujazdów Circus,
later called Na Rozdrożu, a system of intersecting avenues was designed, with a large circus
(today’s Plac Zbawiciela - Saviour’s Circus) and four smaller circuses, constituting a system
contained in the hexagon of the outer avenues. From Southwest, the whole was closed by the
linę of the so-called Lubomirski trenches of 1771. One of the exits from the town, which was
semi-circular in shape, was later rebuilt into Mokotowska Circus (now Plac Unii Lubelskiej -
Lublin Union Circus). The momemtum to be seen in the neoclassical expansion of the
Ujazdów Castle and large planning design at Ujazdów suggests the ways in which work at the
Royal Castle would have developed had the circumstances been favourable. Ujazdów also
confirms that the King was a firm neoclassicist in his taste from the time he came to the
throne, which is indicated by the neoclassical external architecture of the Ujazdów Castle,
designed by Merlini, and the neoclassical architecture of Fontana’s interiors at the Royal
Castle.
The setting in order of the area of the Ujazdów Zwierzyniec (closed hunting grounds),
simultaneously with the reconstruction of the castle, and the plans madę then indicate that
from the very beginning the King included the whole area in his project of the utilization of
the Ujazdów complex. The King, who was, however, also concerned with work on both the
Royal and Ujazdów Castles, initially neglected two pavilions built as early as the end of the
18th century by Marshal Stanisław Herakliusz Lubomirski, Łazienka (Bath-house) and
Ermitaż (Hermitage). Intensified work in the garden in 1773 suggests that the King had madę
up his mind then as to the park complex, intending that his summer residence should be
there. This is confirmed by the major repair and the partial reconstruction carried out in 1773
at Łazienka, where a bedchamber, an octohedral room on the ground floor and a study on the
first floor were furnished for the King, all in new, neoclassical architectural decoration. In
1777, the eastern and western parts of the first floor were added to Łazienka, and the building
thus remained until the changes in 1784.
The Łazienka pavilion, even following the expansion, was obviously not sufficient for the
needs of the King, his family, guests and court, and therefore, in 1774 and 1775, two new
dwelling pavilions, the White Pavilion and Myślewice, and some service buildings were built.
The two pavilions were set on a sąuare plan, both in the early neoclassical style, with interiors
mainly decorated with paintings; each, however, different and decorated in an individual
way. The frescoes were the work of Jan Bogumił Plersch, apart from Pillement the most
outstanding painter in this field at the court of Stanislas Augustus. From 1777 to the end of
the King’s rule, he was active at Łazienki, executing murals and ceiling paintings of varied
23