Ujazdów Castle

Warsaw, Poland, Poland

---

Ujazdów Castle in Warsaw, Poland, began as a 13th-century wooden stronghold built by the Dukes of Masovia to defend against Lithuanian invasions, later upgraded in the 15th century with Renaissance gardens under Bona Sforza.

Rebuilt in brick during the early 17th century by King Sigismund III Vasa as a Baroque residence in Polish "Vasa style" with a square plan, corner towers, arcaded courtyard, and Vistula-facing loggia by architects like Matteo Castelli, it served kings Władysław IV and John II Casimir before devastation in the 1655 Swedish Deluge.

Modified under Stanisław Herakliusz Lubomirski and Stanisław August Poniatowski with added floors and porticoes, it functioned as military barracks until WWII destruction, then rebuilt in 1974-85 to house Warsaw's Center for Contemporary Art amid Ujazdów Park.