Presidential Palace, Warsaw

The Presidential Palace is the largest palace in Warsaw and is impossible to miss thanks to its long cream-colored neoclassical façade, topped with the Polish flag and fronted by an elegant wrought-iron fence. As you face the palace from the sidewalk, notice its perfectly symmetrical design, the row of Corinthian columns supporting the central portico, and the broad ceremonial forecourt beyond the gates.

The palace was originally built in 1643 for one of the wealthiest nobles in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, Crown Great Hetman Stanisław Koniecpolski, whose vast estates stretched so far across eastern Poland that, according to legend, he could travel for days while staying exclusively in his own residences. The building was designed by the Italian architect Constantino Tencalla, who also created Sigismund's Column in nearby Castle Square. Although it has been remodeled several times, its elegant neoclassical appearance dates largely from an 1818 reconstruction.

In 1791, the palace hosted the authors of the historic Constitution of May 3, widely regarded as Europe's first modern constitution and the second written national constitution in the world after that of the United States. During the 19th century, it became the residence of the Russian Viceroy, later serving as the seat of the Council of Ministers of the reborn Polish state. Because German occupation authorities used the building during World War II, it escaped the widespread destruction that devastated Warsaw.

Since 1994, the palace has served as the official residence and workplace of the President of the Republic of Poland, and in 1955, the Warsaw Pact was signed here. As it remains an active government building, the interior is generally closed to visitors, but the exterior is impressive enough to merit a stop.

Before moving on, look directly in front of the palace gates to find the bronze equestrian statue of Prince Józef Poniatowski, one of Poland's greatest military heroes. Sculpted by the renowned Danish artist Bertel Thorvaldsen, it depicts the prince on horseback in the style of the famous ancient statue of Emperor Marcus Aurelius in Rome. The original monument was destroyed during the Second World War, but the version you see today was cast from Thorvaldsen's original models, generously provided by the Thorvaldsen Museum in Copenhagen.