Kazimierz Palace

The Casimir Palace (Polish: Pałac Kazimierzowski), formerly known as Villa Regia, is a reconstructed palace located in Warsaw, Poland. It is adjacent to the Royal Route, at Krakowskie Przedmieście 26/28. Originally built in 1637–41, it was first remodelled in 1660 for King John II Casimir (Polish: Jan II Kazimierz Waza, from whom it takes its name) and again in 1765–68, by Domenico Merlini, for the Corps of Cadets established by King Stanisław II Augustus. Since 1816, the Casimir Palace has served intermittently as the seat of Warsaw University.

The Casimir Palace was erected in 1637-41 for King Władysław IV in the mannerist-early Baroque style as a villa suburbana (suburban villa) christened the Villa Regia (Latin for "Royal Villa"), to the design of Italian architect Giovanni Trevano. It was constructed as a rectangular building with corner towers, a type of residence known as Poggio–Reale - Serlio after the Villa Poggio Reale in Naples. The Villa Regia had a magnificent loggia at its garden facade, with a wonderful view of the Vistula River and its opposite, Praga bank. It had four alcoves and two gardens — a flower garden at the front, and a botanical garden at the rear. Both gardens were adorned with sculptures that had been procured by royal architect Agostino Locci. Some had been purchased in Florence for 7,000 guldens, others had been produced in Prague by Adrien de Vries. According to Adam Jarzębski, they had included a Hercules Fighting the Centaur Nessus and a Horse Bitten by a Snake. Another feature of the gardens was a large arbor where initially the Fleming royal painter Christian Melich had his studio, but which was later selected by Queen Marie Louise Gonzaga as the venue for her literary salon. The palace had rich furnishings, with Venetian-style gilded ceilings (surviving examples of such ceilings in Poland may be seen at the Bishop's Palace in Kielce) and brown Chęciny and black Dębnik marble portals. In the 1650s, sculptor Giovanni Francesco Rossi created profuse Roman-Baroque-style marble decorations, with busts of Roman emperors and of King John II Casimir and Queen Marie Louise Gonzaga (today displayed at Gripsholm Castle in Sweden). These decorations were so precious that during the Swedish Deluge Sweden's King Charles X Gustav ordered the very window frames pulled out and transported to Sweden. The Villa Regia had a large concert hall, decorated with an oil-painted ceiling depicting St. Cecilia, patron saint of music and of Queen Cecila Renata, where the Royal Cappella Vasa gave frequent concerts, and a large collection of ancient sculptures which would be plundered during the Deluge by Frederick William, Elector of Brandenburg, and taken to Berlin; while the garden sculptures were taken to Sweden. Then, having been plundered, the palace was burned.

Following the devastations wrought by the Deluge, the Villa Regia was rebuilt twice, in 1652 and 1660, to designs by Izydor Affait or Titus Livius Burattini, and came to be called the "Casimir Palace" for King John II Casimir, who favored it as a residence. Abandoned in 1667, the palace later became the property of King John III Sobieski. In 1695, the building was totally destroyed by fire.

Palace data from Wikidata (CC0). Summary from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA).