Presidential Palace And Statue Of Prince Jozef Poniatowski In Warsaw, Poland. Editorial Image

The Presidential Palace in Warsaw is located on the Krakowskie Przedmiescie street. Construction of the Palace begun in 1643. It was completed in the style of a baroque residence. Beginning in 1818 the palace was rebuilt in classicist style. In 1918 the building was taken over by the Polish authorities and became the official seat of the Prime Minister and of the Council of Ministers. During World War II the Palace suffered minimal damage in 1939 and survived the Warsaw Uprising in 1944 intact. Since July 1994 it has been the official seat of the President of the Republic of Poland. A statue of Prince Jozef Poniatowski stands in the courtyard in front of the Palace. It was sponsored by Polish aristocracy and executed between 1826 and 1832 by sculptor Bertel Thorvaldsen. It was deliberately and completely destroyed by Germans in December 1944. The statue was reconstructed between 1948–51 and recast in 1965 from the original mold by Paul Lauritz Rasmussen (financed by Danish people).