The first museum in Polish lands was established in 1801 by Princess Izabela Czartoryska née Fleming. Designed by architect Christian Piotr Aigner in the style of the Temple of Vesta in Tivoli, it was built on the edge of the Vistula escarpment.
The building has two levels: upper and lower. The lower hall is supported by nine pillars. During the time of Princess Czartoryska, honor shields commemorating outstanding national leaders and commanders were hung on them. In the center, there is a preserved black marble obelisk commemorating Prince Józef Poniatowski. The interior was styled like a crypt, with the only lighting being a hanging lamp.
The upper level, surrounded by eighteen composite columns, was significantly different from the lower one. Stairs lead to it, accompanied by two stone lions sent from Petersburg by Adam Jerzy Czartoryski. Above the door hung the motto: Past to Future, reflecting the concept of the museum's founder.
The upper floor is covered by a dome decorated with quadrilateral coffered panels and a non-preserved oculus made of amethyst-colored glass, gifted by Tsar Alexander I. Cabinets were adapted to the semicircular walls, where memorabilia from Polish kings, leaders, and commanders (relics, scepters, firearms, images of kings) were stored. On the walls, panoplies consisting of shields, armor, and white weapons commemorating the Sieniawski and Lubomirski families hung.
Opposite the entrance, just before the apsidal niche on a pedestal stood an ebony chest - the Royal Casket, which contained royal memorabilia. This was the most important object inside the Temple.
Currently, the collections of the princess are presented at the Princes Czartoryski Museum in Krakow, and part of them can be seen in the palace interiors of the Czartoryski Museum in Puławy.
Prepared by Grażyna Bartnik-Szymańska, assistant at the Czartoryski Museum in Puławy
Photo by Grażyna Bartnik-Szymańska
