In a symbolic gesture linking the past with the present, the handover of an extraordinary artefact took place in the Knights’ Hall of the Royal Castle in Warsaw on 2 April 2025. The Saski Palace Company, which is carrying out an ambitious project to restore the historic complex, presented a fragment of a stone plaque that once adorned the eastern elevation of the Royal Castle. The discovery, made during the first stage of archaeological work on the site of the former Brühl Palace, is a fascinating testimony to the turbulent history of the capital and raises new questions about the fate of monuments destroyed during the Second World War.
Archaeological finds and identification of the plaque
Archaeological work carried out in the area where the Brühl Palace once stood has yielded a rich collection of almost 10,000 artefacts. We have written about them HERE. Most of the discoveries, such as fragments of pottery or architectural details, document the rich history of the site. However, among the stone finds there was an exceptional object – a partially preserved plaque with a Latin inscription. Made of sandstone, the plaque initially posed a riddle to researchers, as its style and character did not match the architecture of the Brühl Palace or the neighbouring buildings. The key to solving this historical puzzle turned out to be the expert opinion of Dr Jakub Sita of the Art Institute of the Polish Academy of Sciences. He identified the plaque as a fragment of an inscription adorning the façade of the Royal Castle on the Vistula side. Its contents stated: “AUGUSTUS.III.P.P.INSTAURARI.ETORNARI.CURAVIT.MDCCXLVI”, which translated means: “Augustus III Father of the Fatherland erected and decorated ordered 1746”. This inscription commemorated the expansion of the so-called Saxon wing of the Royal Castle during the reign of August III Sas. The uncovered fragment of the plaque bears traces of damage, a splintering on the left side and the partially preserved letters “RI. ET” in the first line and “XLVI” in the second.
Post-war fate of the plaque
Although the origin of the plaque has been established, where it was found is still intriguing. The most likely explanation is the turmoil of war and its tragic consequences for Warsaw. Both the Royal Castle, the Brühl Palace and the neighbouring Saski Palace were completely destroyed by the German occupation forces in 1944. After the war, during the arduous process of clearing the city of millions of tonnes of rubble, among which priceless fragments of historic architecture lay, a fragment of the plaque most likely found its way into the ruined cellars of the Brühl Palace. This fact underlines the enormity of the destruction and the scale of the post-war reconstruction of Warsaw, in which further evidence of the city’s former glory is being found. It cannot be ruled out that further archaeological work in the hitherto unexplored area of the main body of the Brühl Palace will yield further equally valuable finds, perhaps coming from the Royal Castle or other important historical buildings.
photo: Cezary Kazimierowski
A fragment of the plaque at the exhibition
The found plaque is a valuable testimony to history and will be made available to the general public. Until recently, it could be seen at the exhibition “Treasures of the Brühl Palace” at Marsz. J. Piłsudski Square. From April 2025, the fragment will be exhibited in a new context – at the temporary exhibition ‘Saxon Visions. Architecture of Power’ at the Royal Castle. This will be a unique opportunity to see the artefact itself and understand its historical significance in the context of the Saxon era. The exhibition will also present original architectural drawings from the Dresden archives, depicting the designs and visions of prominent artists from the reigns of August II and August III.
Significance of the discovery for the reconstruction
The discovery of a fragment of a plaque from the Royal Castle on the site of the reconstructed Saxon Palace is not only a fascinating archaeological curiosity. It is also a symbolic reminder of the rich, if tragically interrupted, history of the site. In the context of the ongoing reconstruction of the palace and neighbouring buildings, this find takes on special significance. For it emphasises how deeply intertwined the fates of these historic buildings were and how many more secrets the Warsaw soil may still hold. This discovery will certainly enrich the knowledge of the history of the Royal Castle and the Saski Palace and inspire further research and the search for traces of old Warsaw.
Source: palacsaski.pl
Read also: Monument | Palace | History | Warsaw | Curiosities
Brühl Palace during the German occupation and the same place until recently, before the excavations. Source: Herder Institut – Marburg and whiteMAD/Mateusz Markowski
The surroundings of the Saxon Palace in 1935 and 2022. Source: mapa.um.warszawa.pl
Saski Palace in the 1920s and the same place in 2023. Source: Military Historical Office and whiteMAD/Mateusz Markowski
