The Tin-Roofed Palace

The architect Jakub Fontana was responsible for the creation of the palace in its current form. He gave the building a late Baroque style, adding two side wings to the two-story main building. In 1776, the palace became the property of King Stanisław August Poniatowski, who initially allocated it for the residences of his courtiers, and several years later – gifted it to his nephew, Prince Józef Poniatowski.

The Prince lived in the palace with his sister Maria Teresa and French friend, Countess Henrietta de Vauban. She lived there for 17 years and was considered the actual owner of the place, which gained fame in Warsaw as a center of the so-called French lifestyle, full of balls, lavish receptions, and theatrical performances.

The entertaining life gave way to great politics when Józef Poniatowski became the Minister of War for the Duchy of Warsaw in 1807. The palace then became the main headquarters for commanding the army, and its walls hosted Napoleon Bonaparte himself. After the death of Prince Józef, the building was taken over by his sister, who sold the palace to the Russian Tsar Alexander. About a hundred years later, it fell into the hands of the Ministry of Military Affairs and began to serve representative functions.

Over the years, the building mainly served administrative and representative functions. After a general renovation in 2004-2008, it was incorporated into the museum complex of the Royal Castle in Warsaw.

The Copper-Roof Palace (Pałac Pod Blachą) is one of the few Warsaw architectural treasures whose original form survived the Nazi bombings. During the war, only the interiors were burned out, the ceilings and roof were torn off. The walls are original, from the 18th century.

On the first floor of the palace is the Apartment of Prince Józef Poniatowski. Thanks to the accumulation of many valuable historical artifacts and works of art, it has been possible to recreate the atmosphere of the greatest splendor of the princely residence. On the ground floor of the building, Eastern carpets from the Teresa Sahakian Foundation collection are exhibited.

In 2011, the Poniatowski Apartment, where the prince lived from 1798 to 1813, was opened to visitors.

A museum dedicated to Prince Józef Poniatowski is organized in six rooms of the palace, including:

• The Prince's Antechamber;
• The Military Chancellery;
• The Bedroom;
• The Staff Chancellery;
• The Salon;
• The Adjutants' Room.

Artworks for the furnishing of Prince Józef's apartments, furniture, paintings, sculptures, clocks, candelabras, and much more, were stored in the castle for many years. These are the results of purchases or numerous gifts.