Palace Museum in Wilanów

Baroque palace in Warsaw's Wilanow district, originally built as a summer residence for King Jan III Sobieski, the victor over the Turks at Vienna in 1683. Construction began in 1681 to designs by Augustyn Locci, combining Italian villa architecture with Polish and French elements. In 1805 one of Poland's earliest public museums opened here, anticipating the Potocki family's collecting policy. During the Second World War the Germans looted much of the inventory; many pieces were repatriated after 1945. Today the independent museum shows Sobieski's living quarters, a gallery of Polish portraits and a Baroque garden with orangery. Visitors reach Wilanow from the city centre by bus in about 40 minutes.