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On Saturday May 30th
our group took a trip to the King’s Castle in Warsaw as
part of our “Active Weekends” project. This trip was
organized by Arek Więckowski. At the Castle we were
accompanied by our guide – a very nice man I might add –
who in a very interesting and accessible manner was
uncovering before us the history of the Castle, as well
as important historical events that had taken place
within its walls
We visited the room in
which members of the Polish Parliament had debated and
voted upon the Constitution of May 3, 1791. The original
of this document is displayed in the cabinet located in
the council chamber. We also visited the Dining Chamber
in which king Stanisław August Poniatowski would
entertain his guest during his famous Thursday Dinners.
As an interesting fact, the guide mentioned a sample
menu of such Thursday Dinner. I got hungry just thinking
about it. Beside the official rooms, such as the
Ballroom and the Throne Room, we also saw the King’s
private chambers, for example the king’s bedroom. We
also had the opportunity to feast our eyes on the
collection of paintings and sculptures displayed at the
Castle. I was especially intrigued by masterpieces
painted by Italian painter by the name of B.B. Canaletta,
which served as model in the reconstruction process of
the tenement houses in Warsaw destroyed during World War
II. We were shown a device called camera obscura used
Canaletto in the process of creating his paintings. Our
guide briefly explained how the device works. With its
help the Italian master created very realistic paintings
showing the Warsaw of his time.
When we left the Castle,
we went to a pizza place near St. Ann’s church to grab a
bite, unwind a bit after intensive tour around the
castle and talk a bit among ourselves about what we have
just seen. The pizzeria is located in a great spot from
which a beautiful view opens up before the viewer
encompassing the Castle Square and the King’s Castle
itself. I encourage you to view the photos from our
trip.
Mateusz Sińczuk
[photos] |
