The history of the Tin-Roofed Palace

Even though the Tin-Roofed Palace is best known as the residence of Prince Józef Poniatowski, its history dates back to the mid-17th century when, between 1651 and 1655, the Royal armourer Wawrzyniec Reffus built a grand patrician house on this plot. It was radically redeveloped by its next owners, the Lubomirski family, and at the turn of the 17th and the 18th century given a similar look to its current form. In 1777 the Palace was purchased by King Stanisław August and after his death it was inherited by the ruler’s nephew, Prince Józef Poniatowski.

The Palace survived to our times without any serious damage, but in a bad state. Numerous redevelopments concealed the original layout and historical style of the interiors. A thorough renovation of the Palace and its wings between 2005 and 2008 partly restored the former layout, following Wilhelm Henryk Minter’s 1814 inventory. That opened a possibility of a more effective use of the exhibition spaces.