Archaeologists investigating Warsaw’s Morysin Park have uncovered previously hidden remains of buildings that formed part of the estate’s 19th-century Romantic landscape. The work was commissioned by the Museum of King Jan III’s Palace at Wilanów during the 2026 archaeological season.
At the Caretaker’s House, researchers found walls about half a metre high belonging to a concealed section west of a surviving quadrangular turret. They also exposed an unusual floor made from alternating strips of ceramic tiles and wood. Evidence of a corridor surrounding the building indicates that the structure once included a pergola known mainly from historical illustrations. Its surface was asphalt, a material that became increasingly popular during the second half of the 19th century.
The building’s foundations extend approximately 1.6 metres below the historic ground level, highlighting the substantial nature of its construction. Among the smaller finds was a porcelain plate marked as a product of Krister Porzellan-Manufaktur of Wałbrzych. The plate belonged to the Prinzess service and is thought to date to the 1930s, providing evidence that the site continued to be used long after Morysin’s original development.
Excavations at the ruined Hunting Palace revealed a passage linking its porch with a room believed to have served as a boiler room. On the building’s northern side, archaeologists uncovered largely intact stone flooring from a staircase that once led to the upper storey. Fragments of decorative stucco recovered from the rubble may help researchers reconstruct the palace’s interior appearance.
Morysin was developed in the early 19th century by Polish nobleman and statesman Stanisław Kostka Potocki as a picturesque park for recreation. The Hunting Palace was completed in 1811, followed by the Oraculum in 1825, the Neo-Gothic Gate in 1846, and the Caretaker’s House and Gamekeeper’s Lodge around 1850.
According to HeritageDaily, the newly exposed remains show that the visible ruins represent only part of the original buildings. The archaeological information will contribute to a conservation programme intended to protect the surviving architecture and, where possible, restore elements of its historic appearance.
The investigation was led by Dr Rafał Solecki, with participation from archaeology students at Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński University in Warsaw and supervision by museum specialists. Further work at the Hunting Palace is planned for 2027, including investigation of an outbuilding identified through ground-penetrating radar surveys. Restoration of the Gamekeeper’s Lodge is also planned for that year.
