Warsaw. Ban on sitting on the grass in Łazienki Królewskie

After the storms that swept over the Royal Łazienki, the management introduced surprising changes to the regulations. It is known that as a result of the sudden weather changes, about 100 trees.

In the garden regulations available on the website, point III entitled “Respect nature” mentions the prohibitions in force. As we read, it is forbidden, among others: “to destroy plants, ground cover, lawns, to pick flowers, fruit, mushrooms, branches”, “to camp, to have picnics”, “to violate the protection zone of marked natural monuments – the protection zone is 15 m”, “to move outside the marked paths and alleys”; and finally, the most important point – it is not allowed to “enter or stay on lawns, especially under tree branches, unless the Museum designates special, clearly marked zones for this purpose.”

The change outraged visitors to the garden, who were used to being able to spread out on the lawns and no one was bothered by it. According to “Gazeta Stołeczna”, which was the first to report the matter, there are even situations in which Łazienki security runs up as soon as employees see someone trying to spread a blanket on the grass.

How does the management explain the changes in the regulations? The spokeswoman for the Royal Łazienki Museum, Agata Zawora, explained it to journalists from “Stołeczna” as follows: “The new rules are intended to protect both visitors and the heritage itself, which is the historical garden, entered in the register of monuments. The changes introduced include a ban on using the lawns and staying on the premises of the Royal Łazienki Museum during storms and tempests.”

The spokeswoman also pointed out that Łazienki is not an ordinary city park but part of “our national heritage, which we have an obligation to protect for future generations.”

The residents are in disbelief and do not hide their indignation. They criticize the decision of the management on social media, commenting, among other things, on random posts by Łazienki. “Soon you will have to take a change of slippers with you to walk along the alleys… I see that the park authorities are still mentally in the Polish People's Republic…” – wrote one of them.

In one of the comments, the Design and Laid Foundation, whose goal is to improve the aesthetics of public space in Poland, requests that a notice be made available about changes to the regulations, which most users are not yet aware of. “It would be good if you could now familiarize yourself with the opinions of people using the park. Broad public consultations would also be useful before implementing such ideas. This is not a private park, and the adopted conservation doctrine can also be the subject of discussion. We have examples of extremely valuable historical parks in Paris or many Polish parks, where such restrictions are simply unthinkable! Because they are not justified,” they wrote under one of the posts on Facebook.

The matter was also publicized by the Warsaw councilor from the Miasto Jest Nasze association, Jan Mencwel. “Are you going to Łazienki to relax this weekend? A surprise awaits you: the most famous Warsaw park has introduced… a ban on sitting on the grass! Are we going back to the 19th century, when parks were used by elites to stroll along the alleys in lavish costumes…?” he wonders.

Mencwel also wrote a letter to the management of Łazienki with an appeal to withdraw – in his opinion – “this absurd ban. He also shared a fragment of it: “The Director surely knows this feeling of specific bliss caused by the possibility of serving your body rest in a sitting position on a natural surface that provides softness, a pleasant smell and the effect of being lulled by greenery. The surface created for this purpose is, of course, the grass in the park.” The councilor also expressed hope that he would convince the authorities of Łazienki not to insist on this idea.