The hall houses over 7,000 volumes from the 17th, 18th and 19th century, arranged on original furniture designed at the beginning of the 19th century for the Wilanów Library, one of the most magnificent book collections of the Polish aristocracy.

The Wilanów Library was established at the turn of the 18th and 19th centuries in the Wilanów Palace thanks to the efforts of the Potocki brothers, Ignacy and Stanisław Kostka, whose busts are displayed on the commodes. At the end of the 19th century, the palace and its furnishings passed into the hands of the Branicki family. In 1932, Adam Branicki donated the library to the Polish state, and President Ignacy Mościcki entrusted its care to the National Library. At that time, the collection consisted of over 50,000 objects, including almost half a thousand manuscripts, over 2,200 portfolios with graphics, 77 volumes of incunabula and 653 volumes of 16th-century prints.

During World War II, the most valuable part of the Wilanów Library, including manuscripts, the earliest prints and other valuables, was moved together with other priceless National Library collections to the seat of the Krasiński Library. After the fall of the Warsaw Uprising, special forces of the Wehrmacht entered the Krasiński Library with flamethrowers and burned its entire collection. In the next hall, you will see an urn with the ashes of these irretrievably lost literary treasures and a memorial room dedicated to the Krasiński Library.

The Wilanów Collection currently consists of 40 manuscripts, 20,000 prints, 15,000 graphics, 2100 drawings, 370 albums and 14 atlases. The furniture and original equipment of the library survived the war, including globes, a vase and even a ladder. After World War II, the Wilanów Library was set up in the temporary seat of the National Library at 6 Rakowiecka Street, and moved to the Palace of the Commonwealth after its reconstruction in 1961.

Originally, the Wilanów Library was located in the White Hall. It featured in the Andrzej Wajda’s film adaptation of Stefan Żeromski’s Ashes, playing the role of Prince Gintułt’s library and serving as the scene of his encounter with Rafał Olbromski, played by Daniel Olbrychski. You can see the manuscript of the novel in the neighbouring Literature Hall.

In its current location, the Wilanów Hall was arranged as part of the project “Modernization and interior design of the Krasiński Palace (Palace of the Commonwealth) at 3/5 Krasiński Square in Warsaw”, implemented in 2021–2024. The books arranged the historic shelves were selected for exhibition purposes by Tadeusz Mikulski in the years 1932–1936.