The historic Wilanow Palace is called the "Polish Versailles", and it was a second home to many Polish kings.
In 1676 the depopulated village near Warsaw (now it is a close residential suburb) was bought by King Jan III Sobieski. At the beginning, the residence built there was small, but due to military successes and an increase of the importance of royalty, it was reconstructed into a wonderful, huge royal palace in the years 1677-1696. By King's order, Tylman van Gameren and August Locci erected the new baroque-style palace and St. Anne's Church. After completion, the main palace building comprised of elements of a nobility house, an Italian garden villa and a French palace in the style of Louis XIV.
Initially the palace was named Villa Nova (New Village), to distinguish it from the nearby village of Stara Wies (Old Village). However, soon the name was polonised to Wilanow.
It was a summer residence of Jan III Sobieski, King of Poland, betwen 1674-1696.

The Palace in Wilanow belongs to those few places of interest in Warsaw, which remained in its intact form from the period of the pre-Second World War. Situated slightly off the main track, Wilanow remained almost unchanged and today you can admire this wonderful baroque royal residence.

The palace is surrounded by a beautiful 45 hectares park with canals and picturesque bridges, with its natural lake and stream and its man-made pond dating back to King Jan III’s days.
It comprises gardens in a number of styles: a two-level Baroque garden, a neo-Renaissance rose garden, an English landscape park and an English-Chinese landscape park.