Branicki Palace in Białystok

In the 19th century more than a hundred statues disappeared from the gardens of Branicki Palace — reportedly because the nude figures might corrupt the pupils of the tsarist Institute for Young Ladies of Noble Birth that had moved into the building. It is one of many twists in the story of the "Versailles of Podlasie", the Baroque seat of Grand Hetman Jan Klemens Branicki, where kings, an emperor and a future king of France were entertained. Today the palace in central Białystok is the seat of the Medical University, and its interiors can be seen on guided tours.

History: from castle to magnate's residence

The story begins in the 16th century, when the royal builder Hiob Bretfus raised a brick castle with a moat and earth ramparts here for Piotr Wiesiołowski. In the mid-17th century the Białystok estate was granted to Hetman Stefan Czarniecki, and through his daughter it passed to the Branicki family, whose coat of arms was the griffin. In 1691–1697 Tylman van Gameren rebuilt the castle as a Baroque residence, turning one of the old towers into a staircase.

The real grandeur came with Jan Klemens Branicki, who had ambitions of becoming king. From 1728 the work was led by Johann Sigmund Deybel, who added a storey, a pediment with the griffin crest and side wings enclosing a horseshoe-shaped courtyard of honour. In 1750–1771 Jakub Fontana gave the palace its final shape and Rococo interiors; the grand staircase with sculptures by Jan Chryzostom Redler dates from 1754.

A court that hosted kings

Augustus II and Augustus III, Bishop Ignacy Krasicki and, after the hetman's death, King Stanisław August Poniatowski — Branicki's brother-in-law — were all guests here. Emperor Joseph II visited in 1780, Grand Duke Paul of Russia in 1782 and the future Louis XVIII of France in 1798. The court had its own theatre, orchestra and ballet, and the poet Elżbieta Drużbacka lived here. In 1754 the hetman founded Poland's first military academy at the palace, a school of military construction and engineering.

After the fall of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth the residence was sold to the King of Prussia, and after 1807 it passed to Russia. In 1826 the statues on the attic were knocked off and the Baroque cupolas removed; the hetman's theatre was demolished and its stage curtain cut into four pieces and sold in England. In 1944 the retreating Germans destroyed about 70 per cent of the palace. Rebuilding in 1946–1960 restored its 18th-century exterior, although some interiors were recreated with limited accuracy. The medical university has owned the palace since 1950.

What to see

• The Griffin Gate — in 2006, after 200 years, the Branicki coat of arms was put back on it.
• Redler's sculptures between the courtyards: Hercules fighting the dragon and Hercules fighting the hydra, from 1757.
• The staircase and state rooms on the guided route.
• The Baroque French garden with its pavilions, including the Eagle Pavilion rebuilt in 2011; the whole palace park covers about 9.7 ha.

Tripto tip

The interiors can only be visited with a guide from the Museum of the History of Medicine and Pharmacy, booked in advance by phone. Route I takes 90 minutes and covers the 17th-century cellars, the medical exhibitions and, when available, the state apartments (PLN 35, reduced PLN 25). Route II (60 minutes, PLN 30/20) skips the palace interiors. The museum office is open Tuesday to Friday 10:00–17:00 and at weekends 9:00–17:00; tickets are sold in the right wing of the palace at Kilińskiego 1. The garden is open to all and shows the "Versailles" layout best — enter through the gate, cross the courtyard of honour and walk round to the garden façade.