
Łazienki Royal Gardens – SquirRel Hunt

The Royal Łazienki was King Stanisław August’s summer residence, in which a classicist architecture is harmoniously blended with its natural surroundings featuring fabulous gardens filled with palaces, manors, picturesque buildings and monuments. It was officially designated as a public park in 1918. Today, Łazienki is visited by a throng of tourists from the country and the entire world, at the same time serving as a splendid promoter of arts and culture. The park is also home for large numbers of peacocks and squirrels.
During the tour we will try to hunt some of these lovely creatures with cameras and mobile phones. Let’s find our who can capture more! Oh, and we’ll provide some nuts for the younglings to allure the beasts 🙂
Quick Overview
The tour takes place near Warsaw downtown – in Royal Gardens. It usually takes 2-3 hours to complete the full circle and visit all the places of interest. Should you feel tired, we can cut it shorter or quicker if you wish.
There is a lot of places you can come in and visit the insides. Most of these require paid entrance tickets (around €1 each). There is however one exception. On Thursdays all entrances are free of charge, so if you are able to schedule your tour, it is a good idea to pick that day of week. You will not be dissapointed.
Tour Details
- Points of Interest: 15 stops
- Duration: 2-3 hours
- Availability: Mon-Sun, 9 am-8 pm
- Transportation: On foot
- Price: €10/person
Tour’s Main Attractions

THE ROYAL THEATRE AND THE OLD ORANGERY
The Old Orangery was built to house exotic trees in the winter season. It is also a place which is very closely linked to art and culture. The Royal Theatre is situated in the Old Orangery, as is the Gallery containing Stanisław August’s collection of sculptures. The Old Orangery was raised in the years 1785-88, according to a design by Domenico Merlini, court architect to King Stanisław August. The Royal Theatre is one of the few surviving authentic eighteenth-century court theatres in Europe, and the only one of its kind in Poland.

The Temple of the Sybil
The Temple of the Sybil, initially known as the Greek Temple or the Temple of Diana, was erected at the back of the Belvedere Palace, in the vicinity of the Belvedere Pond. It was created in 1822, most probably according to a design by Jakub Kubicki, and alluded to ancient temples, especially the Roman temple in Garni (Armenia) dating from the 1st century.

Amphitheatre
The Amphitheatre at the Royal Łazienki stands out from other European structures of this kind. It combines the motif of ancient ruins with the function of an open air theatre. Modelled on ancient Roman theatres, it is also an open summer garden theatre built in the early modern era. It is apparently the only eighteenth-century theatre of this type in Europe. It was designed by royal architect, Johann Chrystian Kammsetzer, who came from Dresden. Earlier, in the 1780s, an earthen amphitheatre, which was covered with a canvas roof supported on poles, stood on the ground.

Palace on the Isle
The Baroque garden pavilion, designed by the Dutch architect, Tylman van Gameren, was intended as a place for resting, leisure and contemplation. The interiors of the Bathhouse were stylized on a grotto with a spring which symbolized the Hippocrene, a fountain on Mount Helicon in ancient Greece, which was the source of poetic inspiration for the Muses. In 1793, two additional pavilions were constructed. They were joined to the palace by little bridges with columned galleries. Despite the numerous reconstructions over the years, the edifice had remained as a harmonious whole.