Rabbit House of Warsaw

Rabbit House of Warsaw

The Rabbit House (Królikarnnia) is a historic palace in Warsaw, Poland in the classical style. A museum dedicated to Polish sculptor and artist Xawery Dunikowski has been located in the palace since 1965. The palace is named for its former role as a rabbit warren for King Augustus II the Strong. Królikarnia was erected for the King's Theatre Entrepreneur and Chamberlain - Charles Thomatis, Count de Valéry by Royal architect Domenico Merlini on the picturesque Vistula escarpment. The palace was built between 1782 and 1786. It was modelled on the famous renaissance Villa Rotonda outside Vicenza, designed by Andrea Palladio. In his estate, the count established a brewery, a brickyard, an inn, a mill, a barn and a garden with vineyard. Controversially Thomatis was also described as a pimp for King Stanisław August Poniatowski, whose "villa at Królikarnia was little more than a high-class brothel".
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