Copper-Roof Palace

Late Baroque palace from the late 17th century directly next to Warsaw's Royal Castle, above the Vistula escarpment. Construction began in 1698; its name derives from the roofing material - it was the first house in Warsaw with a sheet-metal roof instead of the usual wooden shingles, which was a status symbol. In the 18th century the Saxon Elector and Polish King August III acquired the building and used it for court purposes. It later served the Polish kings Stanislaw August Poniatowski and his family as residence. Destroyed by the Germans in the Second World War, the palace was faithfully reconstructed. Today it is part of the Royal Castle complex and serves as a museum; visitors enter through the same entrance as the castle.