The Royal Castle (Zamek Krolewski). The castle was originally a gothic structure built by the Mazovian Princess in the 13th century. Later the castle was rebuilt (1569-1572) in the renaissance style by King Zygmunt August. After the capital was moved from Cracow (Krakow) to Warsaw in 1596, the castle became king's' residence, as well as the place of meeting for the parliament. It was again rebuilt in 1599-1619 and in 1740-1747. In between the World Wars the castle served as the residence of the Polish presidents. During the war on Poland in 1939 the castle was bombed and destroyed. The final and complete destruction of the castle came after the Warsaw uprising in 1944. At Hitler's order, German soldiers blew up the entire structure. The castle was painstakingly rebuilt by the Polish people after the war. Castle once again stood completed in 1974. Today it serves as a national museum and is the national symbol of Poland.

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