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elizeumunderground salon of the prince

For Friends and Pretty Women

City of Warsaw · 2016

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A location of Elizeum is little known, despite of being in the very centre of Warsaw, in the area of Marshall Edward Rydz-Śmigły Park at Książęca Street, near the National Museum in Warsaw. Its only preserved entrance faces a water reservoir of the 1950s.

Entry to Elizeum, with tree stumps around it. April 2008; photo by Aneta BojanowskaEElizeum is an underground, brick rotunda

which made part of the sentimental garden complex called ‘Na Książęcem’ established by Chamberlain Kazimierz Poniatowski, a brother of King Stanislaus Augustus. Elizeum was built in 1776–1778 according to the project of outstanding architect Szymon Bogumił Zug and it is a unique historical monument on the European scale. After a short period of its splendour, Elizeum was left without the owner and was utilised in an improper way only to become a forgotten and abandoned place. The Heritage Protection Department, City of Warsaw, has been carrying out activities to reconstruct Elizeum and adapt it to new purposes.

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Third Design of Elizeum with a Grotto in Prince Kazimierz Poniatowski’s Garden ‘Na Książęcem’ in Warsaw. Ground floor plan, Warsaw, 1776/1777; Print Room of the Warsaw University Library, BUW Inw. G.R. 137 (Jeż. 268)

Prince Kazimierz Poniatowski (1721–1800), the King’s brother; Marceli Bacciarelli, 1776; oil on canvas, 152 × 112 cm © Copyright by Zbigniew Doliński/National Museum in Warsaw, MP 2989

Kazimierz Poniatowski (1721–1800)

The first biographer of the Prince Julian Bartoszewicz wrote that ‘he was a parasite, useless both for God, and for people’, who ‘did not live but for himself and his lovers’. This opinion, how-ever, seems to be far too one-sided and very unfair.

He was the eldest brother of King Stanislaus Augustus Poniatowski. His adult life could be divided into two parts: in the first one, spanning the years 1743–1773, he was an active and creative actor of the Polish political scene, but in the last 27 years of his life he was focused exclusively on his private leisure pursuits, shocking the public opinion by moral scandals.

When it turned out that – contrary to his expec-tations – Empress Catherina II the Great gave the office of field hetman of the Crown to someone else, the Prince withdrew from an active political life and began to pursue his passion of designing and con-structing gardens and buildings, which were not only important architectural achievements, but also were admired by his contemporaries, especially by the foreigners visiting the capital of Poland. Kazimierz Poniatowski died in Warsaw on 13 April 1800, and was buried in the Ujazdowski Cemetery.

The historic memory of the society preserved the prince’s image only from the second – pompous and immoral – period of his life. This distortion of mem-ory was strengthened by the prince’s family life – he quickly got bored with his wife who was replaced by his numerous and various lovers.

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TThe ‘Na Książęcem’ Garden was created in 1776–1779 according to a design by the outstanding architect and eminent author of garden complexes in the trendy ‘English’ style, Szymon Bogumił Zug (1733–1807). The designer skilfully blended the garden elements with natural surroundings, creating a garden in which beautiful landscape was combined

with a distinct sentimental value. The garden was composed of a geometrically planned upper part, with a two-rowed lane leading from Nowy Świat Street, and a productive garden (and, originally, the Prince’s residence, but the idea was abandoned). Its lower part, below the escarpment in the form of set of terraces, had a more natural form.

Important elements of the garden’s design were garden buildings in various styles: a natural-istic grotto, pseudo-ancient or classicist buildings

‘Mr. Chamberlain Wanted to Have an Idyll in Nature.’

(an underground salon called Elizeum, and a Ionic temple), Oriental-like (a Chinese lantern over Elizeum, Turkish Imam’s House, housing a kitchen; a minaret which served as a view tower) and rustic ones (an inn in the wilderness and a ‘small manor’ which was placed at the opening of the Żurawka valley).

Zygmunt Vogel (1764–1826), A View of Prince Kazimierz Poniatowski’s Garden ‘Na Książęcem’, Warsaw, after 1782

5SSzymon Bogumił Zug described his design in the following words:

The garden (…) although it had been begun seven years ago, has not been finished; but some of its parts have been beautifully completed, includ-ing a grotto and reservoirs sculpted in the rock, and a cascade at the foot of the mountain covered with wild bushes and trees. (…) In front of this grotto, made of stucco which fairy well imitates the nature, there is a large pond with a small island; the island – with a Chinese pavilion in it – is connected via a simple bridge, and is covered with thick bushes.

On the other side is a ravine at the mouth of which is an old country inn with several fine rooms. At the end of this route a shrine is placed on the hill, a round one, with Ionic columns, towering over the surrounding trees. (…) There is also a Turkish tower on the hill, that is a minaret with the stairs meandering to the top, and not far away – a small building of the same taste serving as the kitchen, connected by an under-ground passage with the salon mentioned above.

(Gardens in Warsaw and its Surroundings described in 1784 by Szymon Zug…)

The ‘Na Książęcem’ Garden. A present-day map with

Sz.B. Zug’s survey laid on it. Prepared by Artur

Zadroziński

Ogród na Książęcem 1. Świątynia Jońska2. Budowla podziemna na terenie MNW (istniejąca)3. Karczma4. Elizeum (istniejące)5. Grota6. Domek Imama7. Minaret

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al. S. Lorentza

Książęca

al. J. Czapskiegoal. G. Herlinga-Grudzińskiego

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TThe English traveller William Coxe, who visited the ‘Na Książęcem’ garden in the com-pany of the Prince and the King, wrote about Elizeum:

Passing through a subterraneous passage, long and winding, with here and there a single

lamp, which shed a glimmering light, we came at length to a wooden door, which seemed the entrance of a hovel; it opened, and discovered a superb rotunda, with and elegant dome of the most beautiful symmetry, illuminated with innumer-able lamps; in the circumference were four open

Zygmunt Vogel (1764–1826), A View of Prince Kazimierz Poniatowski’s Gardens ‘Na Książęcem’ and ‘Na Górze’, Warsaw, after 1782. National Museum in Warsaw, inw. 181797 (the drawing is lost)

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recesses between pillars of artificial marble; the recesses contained sophas, with paintings in fresco, representing the triumphs of Bacchus, Silenus, Love, and the victory of the Empress of Russia over the Turks. While we were admiring the beauty of the rotunda, our ears were suddenly regaled with

a concert of exquisite music from an invisible band, and a magnificent table was spread with such expe-dition, as to resemble the effects of enchantment.

(W. Coxe, Travels in Poland, Russia, Sweden, and Denmark…, London, pp. 164–165)

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EInteriors of Elizeum

Elizeum – an underground salon of the Prince – was made as a two--storey building, on the plane of the circle, with four niches, on the plane similar to the letter C, and was topped with a dome. The interior was additionally illuminated by a cir-cular opening in the vault, which initially had a diameter of ca 3 m, but today only of ca 59 cm. The oculus was topped with an exterior octago-nal lantern shaped as a Chinese pavilion. The central hall was sur-rounded by the corridors on two levels, topped with a barrel vault.

A dome of the central hall of Elizeum. April 2016; photo by Aneta Bojanowska

Szymon Bogumił Zug, Design of a Lantern for Elizeum in the Garden of Prince Kazimierz Poniatowski. Print Room of the Warsaw University Library, BUW Inw. G.R. 268 (Jeż. 128)

A northern part of the lower corridor. May 2015; photo by Małgorzata Jaworska

The upper corridor with fragments of wall painting in the back. April 2010; photo by Aneta Bojanowska

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EThe interior of Elizeum was plastered and had a rich stucco and painting decoration. The niches’ walls were covered with frescos depicting the Greek god Dionysus, Sylen, the triumph of Cupid and the triumph of Impress Catherine II over the Turks. On the walls, placed on the supports, were eight busts of Roman emperors, and over the doors were bas reliefs. The cupola had a rich stucco decoration in the form of plaster caissons, as evidenced by, among other things, the preserved remains of the old stucco decorations in the dome and handmade nails to fix the plaster caissons. There is also a frag-ment of three-colour polychrome in the layout of vertical strips in the wall of the upper corridor. In the lower corridor fragments of the wall have sur-vived, which imitate natural rock, and mysterious grooves are visible in the form of the letters V and Y, broadening upwards. There are also recesses for lanterns to illuminate the interior.

The diplomat Charles de Ligne wrote of his visit to Elizeum in the following words: There you encounter a salon as if by pure chance but in such

Fragments of three-colour polychrome in the form of vertical strips preserved on the wall of the upper corridor. April 2016; photo by Aneta Bojanowska

Interior Decoration of Elizeum

a way that it would be impossible to miss it. Here you go into a grotto and trying to leave it, you seem to see a light, and you follow it and enter a hall with marvellous decorations, paintings, and rich furni-ture, with mosaic columns, bas-reliefs…

(W. Puget, What Will Happen with the Gardens of the Prince Chamberlain, Warsaw 1998, vol. 1, pp. 266–267)

Dome with a preserved stucco decoration in the form of caissons. A photo taken in the 1st quarter of the 20th c., from the collection of TONZP, IS PAN B0000003226R 146042R, repr. by T. Kaźmierski, 1986

Remnants of plaster imitating natural rock preserved in the eastern part of the lower corridor. April 2016;

photo by Andrzej Wolański

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EElizeum was meant as a place either ‘for friends, or for pretty women’ as we are informed by a note written in French by the architect on his first design for the building. The central hall of Elizeum was planned as a representative salon for visitors and guests. It was the most beautifully ornamented place of the grotto. The lower cor-ridor served as a passage; the western part was planned for servants and played the role of pantry communicated by an underground passage with a kitchen. The upper corridor, which bordered the hall only on the western side, was planned as a podium for musicians. It probably opened to the central hall through semicircular openings.

The name ‘Elizeum’ could have been derived from the Greek mythology as the reference to Elysium or Elysian Fields, a part of mythical world located underground – the land of eternally blessed and happy life, where the souls free of all suffering and desires indulge in whatever employ-ment they had enjoyed in life, accompanied by music of invisible lyres.

Elisée suterrain devoué ou aux Amis ou aux jolies femmes…

A south-eastern part of the lower corridor. A view of the original entrance on the left, leading to a grotto through an underground passage. April 2016; photo by Aneta BojanowskaAAfter a short period of its splendour, Elizeum was left without the owner and was utilised in an improper way only to become a forgotten and abandoned place. After the Prince’s death, the structure was mainly used as a storehouse. Presently, the interior of Elizeum is devastated and devoid of historical decorations. It is difficult to reconstruct its original appearance.

Fate of Elizeum after Prince Poniatowski’s Time

The northern entrance to the central hall. April 2016; photo by Andrzej Wolański

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TElizeum Today

The Heritage Protection Department, City of Warsaw, has been carrying out, apart from research, promotional actions for this historical building and makes it open for the European Heritage Days and Nights of Museums. Because Elizeum is normally closed to the public, it enjoys huge popularity during the events and attracts crowds of visitors.

• It is probably the only building of such kind in Poland!

• It is associated with the Poniatowski family who played an important part in the history of Poland.

• It was designed by one of the best architects in 18th-century Poland.

• It as an outstanding engineering achievement, with a two-plane structure of the walls and dome, with very good acoustics.

Why Elizeum is Such a Unique Place?

People queuing to Elizeum during the Night of Museums. May 2015; photo by Małgorzata Jaworska

Night of Museums. May 2014; photo by Małgorzata Jaworska

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TThere is a strong temptation to reconstruct the historical decor of the interior, consistent with the intentions of the architect; unfortunately, we have no full information of architectural details. The reconstruction would restore the former glory of Elizeum and testify the aesthetic tastes of that period. But the restoration of the interior will be a modern creation imitating only the real histori-cal substance. So, what is more important? The aesthetic impression or historical truth? To leave it in the current state would make it possible to com-mune with the real historical monument, but at the same time would preserve the interior decoration which was not originally made in this way. But there

Reconstruction of Elizeum – YES or NO?

is a third option: to reconstruct only those elements the appearance of which we know for sure. They include a lantern preserved in the designs of Zug and in the drawings of Zygmunt Vogel or a decora-tion of the vault known form a photograph from the early 20th century.

An alternative is to use advanced multimedia technologies to create a laser hologram of a possible decoration of the interior. It would make it possible to present the original interior design without inter-fering into the historical substance. Lasers could be also used to illuminate the interior and for occa-sional artistic shows. This might become a popular attraction for visitors.

Concept of the central hall; a multi-branch project commissioned by the Warsaw Heritage Protection Department and prepared by JEMS Architects, 2009, Archives of the MWKZ

Concept of the reconstruction of the central hall; H. Siuder, K. Kamiński, Archaeological examination of Elizeum. Graphic design, Warsaw 1987, Archives of the MWKZ

Text compiled by: Aneta Bojanowska Andrzej WolańskiOn the basis of the publication:Elizeum. Podziemny salon księcia. Dla Przyjaciół i Pięknych Pań

Graphic design & layout by:Piotr Berezowski

Translated by: Grażyna Waluga