Summary of 2023 at the Royal Castle in Warsaw
In 2023, the Royal Castle in Warsaw broke another attendance record. The Castle was visited by over 2 million people (2 023 642). The exhibition „The Awakened. The Ruins of Antiquity and the Birth of the Italian Renaissance” was awarded first place in the prestigious annual ranking of the most important cultural events according to the „Polityka” weekly. It was also not the first time that the Castle became the venue for historical events. The whole world was listening to the speeches of US President Joe Biden and President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky, delivered in the courtyard and gardens of the Royal Castle in Warsaw. This special year culminated in the acquisition of a Raphael’s drawing, which is currently one of the most valuable specimens of the Castle’s ever-expanding art collection.
“For another year, we promote the idea among our audiences that the Royal Castle in Warsaw is not only a place associated with the most important events in Polish history, but also an important exhibition centre. This year’s exhibitions, in particular the award-winning exhibition „The Awakened. The Ruins of Antiquity and the Birth of the Italian Renaissance”, are the best exemplification of this idea. This exhibition was not only highly praised by art critics, but also enjoyed considerable attendance success. The exhibition dedicated to the art of Jerzy Nowosielski, which was opened at the end of the year, proves that the Castle is capable of surprising and continues to work on expanding its audience.
We are constantly enriching our collection. In the last days of 2023, we finalized the purchase of a drawing depicting a warrior by Raphael. The drawing will become part of an exhibition of works by the master and his circle of collaborators planned for the second half of this year. The exhibition will be the crowning point of the celebrations of the 50th anniversary of the reconstruction of the Royal Castle in Warsaw, says Prof. Wojciech Fałkowski, Director of the Royal Castle in Warsaw.
Attractive and diverse temporary exhibitions
In the past year, the Castle carried out several major exhibition projects, collaborating with the world’s most important museums, including the Borghese Gallery (Rome), the Uffizi Gallery (Florence), the Louvre, the British Museum, and the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., the Boris Voznytsky National Art Gallery, and the Lviv Historical Museum. In addition to the exhibition „The Awakened. The Ruins of Antiquity and the Birth of the Italian Renaissance”, which was awarded first place in the „Polityka” weekly ranking, the Castle also hosted the exhibitions „Love and Duty.The January Uprising of 1863”, „Copernicus and His World”, and „The Genius of Lviv. Lviv as an Art Centre and Its Art Collections”. The latter, which is still open, takes visitors on a fascinating journey through the world of artistic treasures of the Galician capital, covering the famous rococo Lviv sculpture, as well as collections of Polish and Western European painting from the 16th century to the 20th century, including works by masters such as Artur Grottger, Jacek Malczewski, Jan Matejko, and Henryk Siemiradzki, as well as lesser-known pearls of Western European art.
Another highlight of the past year was the presentation of Titian’s „Portrait of a Young Man”, the next part in the series „Masterpieces at the Castle”.
Additional masterpieces in the Castle’s collection
Over the last few years, the Castle has been working intensively to expand its art collection. Thanks to well-thought-out acquisition plans, it gained high recognition in the international market. Apart from Raphael’s drawing, among the most notable acquisitions of 2023 are paintings by Paolo Uccello, Mattia Preti, and Agostino Tassi.
Extensive and modern educational offer
In the past year, over 57,000 people took advantage of the offer prepared by the Education Department, with more than 2,300 educational projects being carried out. These included museum lessons, meetings with curators, art workshops, painting and drawing courses, and animations in creative spaces at temporary exhibitions. Partnership cooperation with the technology company Well of Art was also initiated, allowing the innovative Glaze application, which replicates the oil painting process according to the techniques of the great masters, to be used in educational activities. The Castle is also becoming increasingly open to visitors with special needs. The Castle’s exhibition space is gradually being supplemented with audio description of the exhibits. In 2023, we prepared once again an offer for museotherapy classes intended for patients from daily psychiatric wards.
Events during the third year of the 50th anniversary of the reconstruction of the Royal Castle in Warsaw
In the second half of 2023, after the necessary renovations, the historic donation box returned to the Grand Courtyard, which was used for making donations towards the reconstruction of the Castle half a century ago. Visitors could also view the exhibition „Postcards with a View of the Castle”, which featured more than 300 historical postcards depicting the structure, interiors, and immediate surroundings of the Royal Castle in Warsaw. In collaboration with „Vogue”, a series of podcasts thematically related to the Castle’s rich and fascinating history was produced. This year’s part of the jubilee celebrations concluded with a scientific conference on the collections of Polish kings and a painting show titled „Image of the Collection – Collection in the Image”.
