WXCA Architectural Design Studio has won the international competition for the reconstruction of the Saxon Palace, a heritage site located in the historical city center of Warsaw, Poland, that was significantly damaged during the Second World War. The competition, organized by the Polish Ministry of Culture and National Heritage in cooperation with the Association of Polish Architects, aimed to create a concept for the restoration of the monument, which is set to be rebuilt in its external Neoclassicist form of 1939.
The Saxon Palace was one of the central features of the Saxon Axis, an 18th-century urban development that also included a representative public square, named Piłsudski Square as of 1928, and the Saxon Gardens. After 1918, the interiors of the place served as the headquarters of the General Staff of the Polish Army. During the Nazi bombardments of the Second World War, most of the historical urban structure was razed to the ground. While intentions for rebuilding and restoration were raised immediately after the end of the hostilities, only the archeological work conducted during the 2000s allowed for the development of a concept for reconstruction. The analyses were carried out in the basements of the palace, some of them dating back to the 17th century, which are preserved to this day.
The reconstruction concept includes the rebuilding of the entire eastern wing of Piłsudski Square in its external architectural form from back in 1939. This involves the Saxon Palace, built in a Neoclassical style in the 19th century, Rococo Brühl Palace, in its modernized form from the 1930s, as well as three townhouses. The reconstructed buildings are planned to house the Senate, the Mazovian Voivodship Office, and the headquarters of cultural institutions.
WXCA architects’ proposal retains the external proportions of the entire complex, the tectonic of the façade, and employs traditional finishing materials. The project also highlights the preserved original decorative elements. As the central part of the colonnade between the two wings still maintains its original elements, the reconstruction section will be clearly separated from the original. WXCA’s concept also takes into consideration the complex dynamic of the monument’s history, understanding the architecture as a form of narrative, not a return to a set moment in time. In this perspective, the reconstruction aims to create a dialogue between the memory of place and contemporaneity.
The project also includes the adaptation of the interior space to welcome contemporary utility functions, so that the complex can create an added social and urban value. The layout of internal courtyards, originally destined for back-area facilities, is now reimagined to become a network of public spaces, with each courtyard receiving a contemporary architectural expression that takes cues from the proportions and geometry of the historical forms. By connecting the complex interiors and courtyard with the square and the park, the entire complex will complement the Saxon Axis, opening up this historical area to the city and its residents.
Recently, WXCA has completed the Polish History Museum, part of the Warsaw Citadel of Museums located in a former 19th-century fortress site. The layout proposed by the architects comprises three buildings, with the Polish History Museum centrally positioned, and two twin buildings dedicated to the Polish Army Museum. Also in Warsaw, a recent exhibition presented the postwar reconstruction and rebuilding process that took place in the Polish capital city after World War Two, shedding light on a complex and often mythologized process.
