Gardens

Saxon Garden

On 27 May 1727 August II the Strong opened the garden by his palace to the people of Warsaw, making it the first public park in Poland. The baroque, French-style layout was designed by the Wettin court architects, including Matthäus Daniel Pöppelmann, the architect of Dresden's Zwinger. The idea was radical for its time: a royal garden anyone could enter without a title or an invitation.

Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

Since 2 November 1925 an eternal flame has burned in the surviving arcades of the Saxon Palace, beside the grave of an unknown volunteer who fell defending Lwów. The coffin was chosen at the Lwów Eagles' Cemetery by Jadwiga Zarugiewiczowa, mother of a soldier who went missing at Zadwórze and whose body was never found. Poland's most important state ceremonies take place here every 11 November.

Fountain, sculptures, technical firsts

The park's main axis ends at the empire-style fountain by Henryk Marconi, built in 1855. Along the avenues stand 21 baroque sculptures of muses and virtues by Jan Jerzy Plersch. The garden also served as the city's testing ground: on 16 June 1855 Warsaw's first water supply started here, in 1899 one of its first public playgrounds opened, in 1902 Kazimierz Prószyński screened his films here, and from 1906 electric lamps lit the paths.

Visiting

In 1942 the German authorities closed the park to Poles, and in 1944 the Saxon Palace and much of the greenery were destroyed. By April 1945 the garden had been cleared of mines and handed back to the city. Today it covers 15.5 ha between Piłsudski Square and the city centre, a convenient stop between the Old Town and Śródmieście. Allow 30–45 minutes for the fountain, the sculptures and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.