A pyramid hidden in plain sight
Beneath the lawns of Royal Łazienki Park, one of Warsaw's most-visited green spaces, archaeologists have uncovered the buried foundations of a structure that disappeared more than two centuries ago. The find is the Pyramidal Guardhouse, an earth-covered, cone-shaped brick building commissioned by King Stanisław August Poniatowski in the 1770s and lost so thoroughly that its precise location had to be reconstructed from archival maps and engravings before a single shovel entered the ground.
Excavations began in early August 2026 near the western shore of the park's main pond, a short walk from the Palace on the Isle where the king once summered. The dig is led by Arkadiusz Cegliński, a doctoral student at the University of Warsaw's Faculty of Archaeology, who spent years cross-referencing historical records with modern geographical coordinates before non-invasive surveys confirmed that 18th-century remains were still present underground.
From royal guardhouse to tavern
Despite its dramatic silhouette, the structure served a mundane purpose at first. Built between 1772 and 1776, it housed the guards who controlled the main approach to the palace. Historical inventories describe a brick interior with plastered white walls, a tiled floor, a stove, wooden benches, and a separate kitchen. Anita Kacprzyk of the Royal Łazienki Museum, speaking to private broadcaster TVN as reported by TVP World, noted that the building later underwent a surprising career change, at some point becoming a tavern before disappearing around the turn of the 19th century.
Why it looked like an ancient tomb
The pyramid shape was not accidental or eccentric. Poniatowski himself used the word "pyramidal" in correspondence with Marcello Bacciarelli, the Italian-born court painter, and the design reflected a broad European obsession with classical antiquity that swept aristocratic circles in the 18th century. The excavation of Pompeii and Herculaneum had ignited intense interest in Greek and Roman forms, and garden designers across the continent began dotting their estates with artificial ruins, mock temples, and tomb-like follies. Kacprzyk described the guardhouse as precisely one such artificial ruin, built to evoke an ancient world rather than to replicate any specific monument.
A 1784 letter from Poniatowski to Bacciarelli, cited by excavation leader Cegliński, reveals that the king also considered the guardhouse site as a possible location for a chapel with mausoleums. Bacciarelli prepared a design and cost estimate, but the project was never realized.
Visitors can see the dig in September
The Royal Łazienki Museum has announced an open day in early September when visitors will be able to observe the excavation at close range. For anyone already planning a trip to Warsaw, the timing offers a rare chance to watch active archaeology inside a park that is normally a place for leisurely walks and summer concerts.
Why it matters for hosts
Independent accommodation operators near Royal Łazienki Park have a concrete, time-sensitive story to share with guests arriving in late August and September 2026. A brief note in welcome materials about the open-day excavation gives visitors an unexpected reason to linger in the neighborhood and adds genuine local texture that generic city guides rarely provide. Hosts who stay current with the museum's announcements can update that information in real time, positioning themselves as knowledgeable insiders rather than simply a place to sleep.
This post is published on the Qontaktly travel blog. The details of the discovery were first reported by TVP World.
First reported by tvpworld.com.