Old Orangery

ul. Agrykoli 1 (+48) 22 506 01 01 29 Mar 2024

Old Oranger, Łazienki Park, Warsaw

After the Palace on the Island, this is perhaps the most important building in Łazienki for visitors today, and a good place to start a visit, as it is one of two ticket offices and tourist info points in the park (the other being the Officer Cadets School). Originally erected in 1785-88 to house exotic trees through the once-harsh Polish winter, the sunny structure also harbours King Stanisław August's Royal Theatre - one of the few surviving 18th century court theatres in Europe (and the only in PL). Constructed out of wood and covered in marblised polychromes, the ground floor is rather modest with simple benches on risers, while the upper level features nine boxes - three on each side - with eight female figures gripping candleholders in between. Interestingly, the space above the boxes has been painted to create the illusion of yet another level, complete with an 18th-century court audience. The theatre is still used today to host chamber concerts; check the repertoire here.

The Royal Theatre at Łazienki; photo courtesy of the embassy of the Netherlands in Warsaw.

The other important aspect of the Old Orangery is the Royal Sculpture Gallery - one of Łazienki's three major royal collections on display today from the time of King Stanisław August (the others being the Painting Gallery in the Palace on the Island and the Printing Gallery in the White Pavilion). From the very beginning of his reign, Stanisław August collected hundreds of marble statues and plaster copies of the most famous sculptures from antiquity. 120 of the most important of these plaster casts are uniquely displayed inside the Orangery, against a painted backdrop by court artist Johann Christian Kamsetzer designed to give the visitor the feeling of a stroll through an alleys of statues in an Italian garden.

Average visiting time: 30mins