Saxon Palace

The Saxon Palace ( Polish Pałac Saski ) was a baroque palace in Warsaw from the early 18th century.

The palace and gardens (now Pilsudski Square) transformed during the Saxon period to the Saxon axis between the baroque Saxon Gardens and the Saxon place after 1715 in the style of the late Baroque and Rococo and expanded. The palace was destroyed in 1944 by the German Wehrmacht. The reconstruction should begin in 2007.

History

By 1600, was located at the site of the Saxon Palace by King Sigismund III. Wasa built fortifications in Warsaw. A first castle was built there by Tobias Morsztyn in the early Baroque style. His son Jan Andrzej Morsztyn let Tylman van Gameren the Morsztyn Palace from 1661 to 1664 to expand, for which he received the approval of King John II Casimir. Already from 1669 to 1673, the castle was rebuilt again. King August II bought the castle in 1713 and let it transform during the construction of the Saxon axis. The expansion was made of the Saxon architect Carl Friedrich Poeppelmann and Joachim Daniel von Jauch to 1724. August II was also the Saxon court and the Saxon Garden, Create latter in 1713 by Johann Christoph Naumann.

1748 two new wings of the castle were built. During this time, the Brühl Palace was built north of the Saxon Garden. Until 1817, the palace remained the property of the Wettin and housed thereafter until 1831, the government of Congress Poland. In 1837 it was sold to the Russian merchant Ivan Skwarzow and rebuilt by Waclaw Ritschel and Idzkowski Adam in the neoclassical style in the spirit of Russian classicism, especially the middle section was demolished and replaced by a column wall. After the First World War, the General Staff of the Polish Army had its headquarters here after the Warsaw Uprising in 1944, the Palace was destroyed as planned by the German Wehrmacht. Remains and is only a fragment of the façade of columns, in which is the tomb of the Unknown Soldier since 1918.

Rebuilding

The reconstruction of the building should be carried out from 2007 to 2009 and cost about 75 million euros. The heated debate over the use of alternatives, however, contributed to the delay in the implementation. The planned withdrawal of the Government in the premises of the reconstructed palace was criticized by many as the exclusion of the public, alternative proposals included a conference center, museum uses and luxury flats and restaurants. 2006 archaeological work was carried out in the exposed basement of the palace. Here, about 19,000 historical objects were found, among other things Coins and porcelain. Most foundations should be removed and replaced with new ones. In the palace, the city council of Warsaw should ultimately move.

In 2009, the Warsaw City Council the construction plans for the time being given up and moved on indefinite future.