Palace of the Commonwealth — Attraction in Warsaw

Pałac Rzeczypospolitej, also known as the Krasiński Palace, is a beautifully restored Baroque residence located in Warsaw’s Krasiński Square. Originally constructed between 1688 and 1699 for Jan Dobrogost Krasiński, the palace has served various roles throughout its history, including housing the Crown Treasury Commission, the Supreme Court, and now, the National Library’s special collections.  

After suffering significant damage during World War II, the palace underwent extensive reconstruction from 1952 to 1961. In May 2024, it opened its doors to the public for the first time, allowing visitors to explore its opulent interiors and view a permanent exhibition of rare manuscripts and literary treasures, including works by Jan Kochanowski, Adam Mickiewicz, and Frédéric Chopin.  

The palace is open to visitors from Wednesday to Monday, between 11:00 AM and 7:00 PM, with the last admission at 6:45 PM. Admission is free. Audio guides in English and Polish are available, and guided tours can be arranged by contacting the palace in advance. 

While visiting, take time to stroll through the adjacent Krasiński Garden, a serene space that complements the grandeur of the palace. Note that the palace is closed on Tuesdays and may have additional closures on holidays, so it’s advisable to check ahead before...

Gorgeously maintained and a great example of a purpose built library/attraction. FREE to the public, except Tuesday. Intentionally destroyed by the Germans and then later re-built. Manuscripts and ancient texts that survived WWII, are enclosed with small excerpts, available in Polish and English. Motion activated lighting lights up displays as you go through. The rooms/spaces are large, so bigger groups and large families could easily wander through. You can take photos and videos throughout, except for the staff who advised that no photos or videos could be taken of them. They also have an entire wall to wall screen installation taking you through the history of the building, the fires that took place and then the reconstruction etc. It's rather immersive and impressive for the kids. Thanks to the 2014 restoration made possible by a financial mechanism involving the European Economic Area and Norway housed works include Sankt Florian Psalter, Holy Cross Sermons, manuscripts of the chronicles of Gallus Anonymus and Wincenty Kadłubek, Jan Kochanowski, Adam Mickiewicz, Juliusz Słowacki, Frédéric Chopin, Henryk Sienkiewicz, Zbigniew Herbert, Henryk Górecki and Agnieszka Osiecka. OVERALL: Highly recommend as a great day trip. The surrounding gardens are huge with plenty of seats and trees to sit underneath and...

Beautiful building used to expose some of the most precious books of the Polish national library that survived WWII. Here on display you will see the oldest existing book in Polish language or Cyrillic, original manuscripts from 14' century up to 20' century, pieces of the collection of Polish Kings or Italian Sforza family, handwritten originals of the most important Polish writers and much more... A collection of ashes from the library that went lost during the Nazi bombings of 1944 reminds us how precious it is what is here on display, both for Polish culture but moreover for the World cultural heritage. Must-see place for literature lovers as well as for history lovers. The museum is small and can be visited in one hour. Both the entrance and the audio guide are FREE. Ask for the audio guide as it will make your visit...