Restoration Begins on Warsaw’s Infamous 18th-Century Elizeum

A former opulent hideaway for aristocratic pleasures, the Elizeum was considered one of the city’s out-of-bounds hotspots before its abandonment.

It will take three years to restore, and first, there will be a six-month drying-out process, using ventilators and electric fans. The chambers will be insulated against the fragile structure later with clay.

But with just 4.9 million złoty (1.15 million euros planned) earmarked for the transformation of the 200 square-meter complex into a fully-fledged cultural venue, those plans are on hold.

Kazimierz Poniatowski’s Vision of Indulgence
The Elizeum was commissioned by Kazimierz Poniatowski, the brother of Poland’s last king and one of the nation’s most scandalous historical personages. Popular for his extravagant, hedonistic lifestyle, Kazimierz constructed the Elizeum as a luxurious underground venue for pleasure.

In addition to the Eliezerun, he also created Park Na Książęcem, which he populated with eccentric features including a minaret, artificial lake, promenade, and even a colony of monkeys, which tragically led to disaster when the animals started killing each other and diving to their deaths.

Kazimierz’s predilection for the over-the-top didn’t end there. Intended to imitate the grandeur of structures such as Nero’s Golden House, the Elizeum was the work of prominent architect Szymon BogumiÅ‚ Zug. Finished in 1778, the complex was entered through three doors, one of which, with an inscription in French, “for friends and the company of beautiful women,” remains.

An Overlooked Gem Poised to Step Back Into the Light
In the middle was a high dome room, almost 8 meters high kept colonnades, frescoes, sculptures, and fountains. It contained works of art such as busts of Roman emperors and paintings of Dionysus and the Russian empress Catherine the Great.

Guests were serenaded under the arches, and not even a discreet orchestra could be seen in this place of private revelry.

After Kazimierz died in 1800, the Elizeum became derelict, a storehouse for alcohol and ice before being bricked up. For years, it was opened to the public only on rare occasions when it piqued curiosity for its spooky, bat-inhabited interiors.

Now, with the initial phase of its restoration complete, the Elizeum may see the light of day again and so provide us with a great insight into one of Poland’s most colourful eras of aristocratic hedonism.