Warsaw – Hotel Bellotto

This isn’t the hotel that I’m staying at, since I’m not made of money, but it’s an interesting building. It was originally built in the late sixteenth century and was designed to be used as the residence of the bishop, hence its current name of the Primate’s Palace. Like many things in the city, it was destroyed during the Swedish Wars in the 1650s and its replacement was also damaged during attacks in the early eighteenth century.

Wings were added on both sides of the main building in the late eighteenth century.

The building ceased to be used as a residence for bishops in 1795, thereafter being used by numerous governmental institutions. It was damaged badly early on during the Second World War, in September 1939, but was repaired following the end of the conflict. In the post-war period, the building was initially used for civic purposes, but was then turned into a hotel. The transformation into a hotel was recent, in 2015, with the former offices turned into rooms and minimal interior changes were made. The cellars were cleared out, two elevators were installed and twenty rooms and suites were created, with the hotel being five-star rated.

More about the hotel here.