Zachęta Gallery in Warsaw

The Zachęta is an internationally renowned art gallery in the center of Warsaw with changing exhibitions.

The picture shows the staircase illuminated by a large roof light. The building was erected in 1898 to a design by Warsaw architect Stefan Szyller in the style of Neorenaissance and Neoclassicism.

Zachęta was severely damaged during the Second World War, but was restored at a manageable cost compared to other palace buildings in Warsaw.

There was a scandal in 2000 when the then Swiss curator Harald Szeemann included the work La Nona Ora by Maurizio Cattelanin in the exhibition: it shows Pope John Paul II lying helplessly on the ground after being hit by a meteor.