This is the English version of an article first published in Polish: read the Polish original. It refers to source material: wilanow-palac.pl. The text is our own commentary, not a translation or copy of that source.
On 8 October, Wawel Castle hosted the announcement of the fifteenth edition of Free November, an action in which four royal residences open part of their collections to visitors without charge. This year's slogan is Enter History, and among the people presenting the programme was Piotr Górajec, acting director of the Museum of King Jan III's Palace at Wilanów. Besides Wilanów, the action involves Wawel Royal Castle, the Royal Łazienki Museum and the Royal Castle in Warsaw, each residence with its own date in November. This is already the fifteenth run of the same idea, another yearly chance to see collections that normally require a paid ticket.
Wilanów last, on 28 and 29 November
The residences enter the action one by one, one per weekend. Wawel opens the cycle on 7 and 8 November, Łazienki has its date on 14 and 15 November, the Royal Castle in Warsaw on 21 and 22 November, and Wilanów Palace closes the whole thing on 28 and 29 November. Under this order, Wilanów residents who want to see their own palace without a ticket have exactly that one weekend, not sooner.
The programme for the Wilanów weekend ties into the coming holiday season. An old crafts fair in the palace orangery recalls Christmas preparation traditions from centuries past. The plan includes craft workshops, meetings with craftspeople, a performance and a concert of early music. It is a continuation of the format the museum already used for earlier free admission days, such as the August anniversary of the Potocki family first opening the palace to the public, only with an entirely different, winter setting.
On ordinary days the palace is open every day except Tuesdays, from 10:00 to 16:00, and the park and historic gardens are free to enter until 16:00 regardless of the campaign. On the weekend of 28 and 29 November, free admission also covers the palace interiors themselves, not just the park. The museum has not yet published a detailed hourly schedule for the individual fair stalls, so it is worth checking wilanow-palac.pl before heading out, especially if the plan includes a specific workshop or concert rather than just a visit. For those who cannot wait until the end of November, the three earlier weekends at the other residences are just as free, you just have to travel outside Wilanów to reach them.
