Pałac Małachowskich w Warszawie

Warsaw Baroque: the Malachowski Palace and its rich history

Małachowski Palace, located at 11 Senatorska Street in Warsaw, is one of the examples of Baroque architecture in Poland. Although it has undergone numerous reconstructions and rebuildings over the centuries, it still retains its historical character and is an important element of the capital’s landscape, despite its poor condition and need for renovation. Today, the building is the headquarters of the Polish Tourist and Sightseeing Society and the Polish-Swedish Society.

History of the Malachowski Palace in Warsaw

The palace was built in the middle of the 18th century on the order of Jan Małachowski, Grand Chancellor of the Crown, by extending the building that had previously belonged to Józef Benedykt Loup, Mayor of Old Warsaw. The plot on which the residence was erected was located between Senatorska Street and Krakowskie Przedmieście Street. The late Baroque reconstruction project is attributed to Jakub Fontana. The two-storey building, covered by a hipped roof, faced Krakowskie Przedmieście with its façade. The palace was complemented by two side wings, connected to the main part of the edifice by narrower passages. Monumental gates and a water feature added to the representative character of the residence.

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Małachowski Palace – changes in ownership and functional transformations

In 1784 Jan Małachowski’s son, Mikołaj, sold the palace to the trading company Bracia Roesler i Hurtig. The new owners carried out significant transformations to the building: the side wings and gates were demolished, and on the side of Krakowskie Przedmieście a three-storey tenement house was built according to the design of Szymon Bogumił Zug, connected to the palace by two outbuildings. These changes deprived the building of its original residence character. After reconstruction, it became a modern commercial and residential house with specially designed display windows. It was one of the most expensive and luxurious commercial buildings in Warsaw. The floors housed rental flats and flats of the owners. We wrote more about the building HERE. Between 1886 and 1888, Miodowa Street was extended to Krakowskie Przedmieście, which necessitated the demolition of Dwór pod Gwiazda and the neighbouring tenement houses. On the south side, the palace gained a new, five-axis façade, including an added connector.

Wartime destruction of Warsaw’s monuments and reconstruction

The palace was badly damaged during World War II: it was burnt down in 1939 and again in 1944. After the war, a decision was made to rebuild it, which took place in 1947-1948. The reconstruction project, by Zygmunt Stępiński, restored the palace to its 18th-century appearance, with minor changes. The damaged walls of the southern outbuilding of the Roesler tenement house were dismantled, which exposed the eastern façade of the palace from the side of Miodowa Street. The 19th-century rectangular windows in the attic were also removed and replaced with neo-Baroque dormers with copper coverings. The attic was decorated with sculptures by Aleksander Żurawski, although their aesthetics were the subject of controversy. In 1965 the palace was entered in the register of monuments.

Małachowski Palace in the 1920s and 1940s. Source: Digital National Library Polon and the State Archive in Warsaw

The contemporary fate of the former residence of Joseph Benedict Loupia

Today, the Malachowski Palace serves as the headquarters of the Polish Tourist Society and the Polish-Swedish Society. The building, although small in scale, is an important witness to Warsaw’s history and one of the essential elements of its architectural heritage. The peeling paint on the façade and the windows, which need to be refreshed, make a rather depressing impression today. The building is waiting for a renovation that will bring out its former beauty.

Source: warszawa1939.pl, polskiezabytki.pl

Read also: Architecture | Palace | City | Warsaw | Architecture in Poland

The Palace in 1915 and 2025. Source: Photo Archives of the Institute of Art History, Jagiellonian University and WhiteMAD/Mateusz Markowski

View from the courtyard after the war damage and today. Source: szukajwarchiwach.gov.pl and WhiteMAD/Mateusz Markowski

The palace in 1940 and today. Source: State Archive in Warsaw and WhiteMAD/Mateusz Markowski