Wilanów. Palace garden

In 1677, King Jan III Sobieski purchased the village of Milanów near Warsaw and built a modest manor here, which over time he transformed into a palace, surrounded by gardens, with a farm and a zoo. The author of the project was Augustyn Locci the Younger. It is a symbol of the glory of the king - the winner, the warrior who, among others, defeated the Turks near Vienna, a strong monarch striving for the splendor of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.
The front courtyard is a vast, oval lawn with a driveway, and when we pass the classicist buildings: Guardhouse, Kitchen and Bathroom, built at the end of the 18th century on the initiative of Izabela Lubomirska, we see the intimate Rose Garden. Originally it was a fruit and vegetable garden. Geometric quarters, surrounded by low boxwood hedges, are filled with historic varieties of English and French roses in pastel colors. The central part is a fountain with a sculpture of a boy with a swan. The whole is dominated by a ceramic figure of Victoria, and the entrance to the landscaped Southern Park is highlighted by allegorical sculptures: Harmony, Beekeeping, Agriculture and Fishing.
The oldest part of the complex - the vast Baroque Garden, divided into the upper and lower terraces. The axial composition is preserved in accordance with the original design of the royal architect - Augustyn Locci and is located in front of the private apartments of the royal couple. These are 16 sections with baroque ornaments made of low-cut boxwood, also surrounded by low boxwood hedges and flower borders. In line with the trends of the era, the background for these patterns is colorful aggregate and crushed brick, and the composition is complemented by cones made of cut hornbeams. In these fanciful garden parts, plants typical of the Baroque era bloom - pasque flowers, narcissi, tulips, bluebells, lilies, peonies, asters and delphiniums. There were once fountains here, their place highlighted by brick patterns. As before, in the summer, pots with citrus trees and exotic plants are placed in the garden.
Sculptures of mythological figures praise the virtues of King Jan III Sobieski and his wife Marysieńka.
The stairs leading to the lower terrace are decorated with original sculptures by Johann Christosomus Redler. These are putti, i.e. figures of a small, naked boy, symbolizing the 4 stages of love: fear, kiss, indifference and quarrel.
The art of the Baroque era was based on the rational perception of the world and turned towards ancient culture. Nature has become measurable, tame, in line with the thought of Galileo, who claimed that "the book of nature is written in a mathematical language, its written signs are triangles, circles and other geometric forms, without whose help not a word of it can be understood."
At the northern wing of the palace there is the Northern Garden, which, like the Rose Garden, was once a herb, vegetable and fruit garden, transformed into an ornamental garden in the 18th century. There are also geometric parterres, edged with low boxwood hedges, with grass and flower patterns, and flower beds. The central place is occupied by a fountain with the figure of a mythical triton with a horn.
Behind the line of cut hornbeams there is a road to the orangery. This is the youngest part of the palace garden. During the times of King Jan III Sobieski, there was a parish church and cemetery here. The garden has the form of an indentation with quarters filled with red roses and funkias, herbal beds, and flowers in pots. In summer, exotic plants are displayed in the orangery: Canary Island date trees, fig trees, palm trees, and banana trees. In the middle of the composition, of course, there is a water accent in the form of a fountain. Against the background of the garden, there is a sculpture by the famous artist - Igor Mitoraj - "Centurion", made of bronze, in 1988.
The Northern Park was created on the initiative of Stanisław Kostka Potocki, in accordance with 19th century trends, as a landscape garden, inspired by English ones. Lasek na Kępa was then incorporated, henceforth called Morysin, after the Potockis' grandson - Maurycy, called Moryś. The whole thing has a romantic character, with a rich water system, freely run paths, and distant views. An island with a monument to the Battle of Raszyń, buildings referring to various styles, such as: a pumping station, a Roman bridge, a Chinese gazebo, artificial ruins. Old trees, dense thickets, mosses. All this creates an aura of eeriness, promotes contemplation and stimulates the senses. An idea in line with the spirit of romanticism. In 1805, Izabela Czartoryska wrote in "Various Thoughts on the Method of Establishing Gardens" that a garden is a temple of nature.
Since 1996, Morysin, as a valuable natural habitat, has become a legally protected reserve.
The Southern Park was created at the end of the 18th century on the site of a former royal farm. It is a landscaped English-Chinese garden.