Radziwiłł Palace and Park Complex in Biała Podlaska

The Radziwiłł Palace and Park Complex in Biała Podlaska (say BYA-wah pod-LAH-skah) is a former magnate residence with star-shaped bastion fortifications in eastern Poland, today a park with a historic gate, towers, a chapel and a museum. The palace itself was pulled down in 1883, but the earth ramparts, the gate and the outbuildings survive, and a restoration was completed in 2020. It is a pleasant half-day stop on the way between Warsaw and the Belarus border region.

History of the Radziwiłł castle

In 1622 Prince Aleksander Ludwik Radziwiłł signed a contract with the mason Paweł Franciszek Negroni to build a castle. It was a three-story palace with four five-sided turrets, surrounded by a moat and an earth rampart, and it was finished in the 1630s. In the last quarter of the century the entrance gate was added, and around 1700 came the Baroque outbuildings and bastion fortifications. The surviving earthworks are a rare example of Old Dutch-style fortification. Destruction began in 1764 with a raid by troops of Jan Mikołaj Chodkiewicz, and in 1883 the partly ruined palace was demolished.

In July 2020 the complex was restored: the fortifications, the barracks gate and a wooden bridge were rebuilt, car traffic was moved away and the outline of the old walls was marked in the ground.

What to see

• The entrance gate, with a facade modeled on a triumphal arch, and the gate tower with a Baroque cap. Since 2024 it has housed the Museum of Southern Podlasie.
• The eastern turret with sgraffito decoration (four Radziwiłł eagles), now an archaeological exhibition.
• The chapel of St Josaphat Kuntsevych, from around 1620.
• Three outbuildings from the early 18th century and a park on the former parade courtyard.
• An amphitheater for 990 people, modernized in 2020.

Curiosities

The first mention of a brick alcove manor in Biała dates from 1536. Until 1746 the complex was managed by Anna Katarzyna Radziwiłł, who had the gate and rooms decorated. Today the outbuildings house, among others, the town library and a music school, and the museum shows temporary exhibitions there. The park also has a monument to Bogusław Kaczyński from 2020 and a statue of St John Cantius restored in 2023. Archaeological research took place in 1982-1985 and again in 2000-2002 and 2013-2015.

Practical information (as of October 2026)

• The park area: open to visitors, with no official hours.
• Museum of Southern Podlasie (ul. Warszawska 12): September 1 to June 30 Monday-Friday 10:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m., closed Saturday, Sunday 10:30 a.m.-4:00 p.m., last entry 3:00 p.m. In July and August Tuesday-Friday 10:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. and Saturday-Sunday 11:00 a.m.-4:30 p.m., closed Monday.
• Tickets: all museum sites PLN 15 regular and PLN 10 reduced; the tower with the turret alone PLN 12 and 8; the west outbuilding PLN 5 and 3. A family ticket (2+2) is PLN 10 per person, and children under 7 enter free.
• Free entry: permanent exhibitions on Mondays (Tuesdays in July and August).
• Guided tours by prior booking: tel. +48 508 091 745. English-language tours are not confirmed.

Getting there

Biała Podlaska is about 150 km straight-line east of Warsaw. The complex is on Warszawska and Zamkowa streets in the town center. You can come by car or public transport; check parking on the surrounding streets, since traffic in the center is limited. Allow one to two hours for the visit.

Nearby

The Kodeń shrine is about 33 km away in a straight line, and in town you can look at the other buildings of the former Radziwiłł residence.