Presidential Castle in Wisła

In the night before Christmas Eve 1927, the Habsburgs' freshly renovated hunting lodge in Wisła, intended as a residence for the President of Poland, burned down in unexplained circumstances. In its place Adolf Szyszko-Bohusz designed a modernist "little castle", a gift from the Silesian province to President Ignacy Mościcki, handed over in 1931. The Residence of the President of the Republic of Poland on the slope of Zadni Groń is once again run by the President's Chancellery, and free guided tours are available.

History: from the Habsburgs to the presidents

In 1906 Archduke Frederick of Austria-Teschen had a larch-wood hunting lodge in Carpathian-Tyrolean style built on the slope of Zadni Groń. Capercaillie and red deer were hunted here, and in 1915 the guests included Emperor Wilhelm II. After 1918 the lodge passed to the Polish Ministry of Agriculture, and in 1927 the Silesian provincial authorities decided to give it to the president. Renovation finished on 23 December, and on the night of 23–24 December 1927 the building burned to the ground.

A new masonry residence was built in 1928–1931. The driving force was the Silesian governor Michał Grażyński; Professor Adolf Szyszko-Bohusz prepared the design and cost estimate free of charge, and the interiors were created with Andrzej Pronaszko and Włodzimierz Padlewski. Mościcki first arrived on 21 January 1931. After the war the castle served, among other things, as a holiday home for the Council of Ministers and was left off maps. Since 2002 it has again belonged to the President's Chancellery, and after renovation in 2003–2005 it operates as the Presidential Residence and National Heritage Ensemble in Wisła.

What to see

• The Upper Castle, a curved building that follows the contour of the slope, an example of late-1920s Constructivism and Functionalism.
• The Pronaszko Salon with a set of chrome tubular steel furniture upholstered in leather and plush, described by the residence as unique in Poland, and a view of the Barania Góra range.
• The dining room with an Art Deco table for 16 and paintings on loan from the National Museum in Warsaw.
• President Mościcki's study with the original desk, and the bathing salon with a bath, bidet and washbasin from the first owner's time.
• The wooden chapel of St Hedwig of Silesia from 1909, a survivor from the Habsburg era.

Interesting facts

Szyszko-Bohusz designed the building with flat roofs, which did not suit the mountain climate; steep copper roofs were only added in 1938. As early as the 1930s the castle had electricity, its own water supply, central heating and a sewage treatment plant. The wall paintings in the dining room and salon were restored with many layers of tempera made from thousands of hens' eggs. The building has been on the heritage register since 7 June 1994.

Tripto tip

Tours are free and guided, for groups of up to 20, Wednesday to Saturday at 11:00, 12:30 and 14:00; the residence is closed on Sundays and public holidays. You must book with reception at least 7 days ahead, giving names and Polish ID numbers; foreign visitors give their date of birth, document number and type, and nationality. Bring ID on the day. Because of the nature of the site, the residence may refuse or reschedule a visit. The castle is at ul. Zameczek 1, above Lake Czerniańskie in Wisła Czarne. The Lower Castle and the Gajówka house a hotel and restaurant, so you can combine the tour with lunch and a walk by the lake.