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Warsaw, a remarkable city, unique in the world and history. It is the only capitol in the world which once had totally ceased to exist in dramatic circumstances, which had lost almost all its buildings and population only to be reborn, against all odds, in such an unbelievably short period of time. It had started to rebuild its life from scratch – it has assumed a new shape, but still managed to remain a proud testimony to its historical heritage.
In 1569, after the Royal Castle in Cracow had been burnt down, the king, Zygmunt III Vasa, moved the capitol to Warsaw. The Royal Castle in Warsaw became a heart of Poland where the Seym and the Senate had their sessions. The Warsaw Royal Castle - burnt during the 1939 siege, plundered and then blown up by the Nazis in 1944 - it has now regained its past glamour.
Jan III Sobieski, a remarkable person in the Polish history, gained his fame in Europe for his splendid victory in the battle of Vienna. When he came to the throne in 1674, he decided to establish a country residence for himself near the capitol. The residence was to provide him with some peace and quiet not far away from the city life. The Wilanów Palace with the surrounding gardens survived the horrid times of the Partitions, wars and Nazi occupation. It has retained its historical and artistic value and glamour and is now one of the most valuable monuments of the Polish national heritage.
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