The Polish Throne

The first royal house was built on this plot of land in the 13th century, and by 1410, it had grown into a glorious, gothic-designed brick castle that became the official seat of the Polish monarchy in 1526. Over the centuries, the castle tells a sad story, but today it stands once again as a testament to Poland's resiliency.

Historically, the castle faced many onslaughts, be it by the Swedes and Brandenburgians or the Russians and Germans. Even the venerable Peter the Great looted its art collection, and the castle square was the sight of demonstrations for the 1863 Polish insurrection. The city got a reprieve after World War I when Poland regained its independence and began restoring the castle, but all that work came to naught when the Germans blazed through in '39. The Nazis burned most of the castle and set the explosives to blow it up entirely, but Italy convinced them to hold off for many years. Germany finally ignited the bombs following the Warsaw Uprising in '44.

Though monarchy would not return to the one-time kingdom, the Polish people sought a return to the normalcy that precedes the dark days of Nazi aggression. Plans to rebuild the castle were put forward as early as '49, but such a project was not a priority for the country's new masters, the Soviets. Only the Grodzka Gate, whose stones were kept safe in the National Museum, got rebuilt during this time.

In the early '70s, the government put forth a new plan to restore the castle, and this time Polish citizens had the means to step forward and finance the project. To many Poles, the rebuilding of the Royal Castle was important enough to raise the money privately, and the castle framework got rebuilt by the summer of '74. Still, it took another 14 years to complete the interior with all its furnishings and art works.

While still used for special visits and meetings, the Royal Castle today is a national museum visited by over 500,000 people each year. The outside features a brick wall nearly 300 feet long, while the inside was diligently recreated to reflect its prewar style and beauty. This included pursuing stolen collections as well as introducing new ones. The interior currently includes the Jagiellonian Rooms with portraits from the Jagiellon dynasty, the Houses of Parliament where Europe's first modern national constitution was created, the Royal Apartments where King Poniatowski lived and the art collection hall of Countess Karolina Lanckoro?ski that includes two Rembrandt paintings.

During my travels, I heard a person say they found Warsaw too depressing because it still bares deep scars from World War II. He added that, while the war ended for most in the '40s, Poland remained occupied for decades more by the Soviets. To that extent, the war really only ended for them a few decades ago. While I could sense the pain the people felt, I actually felt more inspired. I saw a city that faced the worst, and they fought back, endured and swiftly moved to undo the destruction that had been wrought. If anything, Warsaw's citizens are a bright light showing everyone that, no matter how horrible the tragedy, you can still rebuild your life. Indeed, there's no better example than the Royal Castle.