What we see today is not that building but a wonderful and faithful reconstruction of the castle, it having been almost entirely destroyed by the Nazi occupying forces in 1944. What is also remarkable is that the reconstruction was funded by public donation. The latter seems to me to be a testament to the spirit of Polish, and Warsaw, citizens. So that when I say that the building you can visit now is not the same as the one that stood there before its destruction that is not entirely true. The bricks and mortar may not all be the same, but the spirit of the place was never destroyed and still endures.

Inside the castle, many of the rooms have been renovated to 17th- and 18th-century designs. The Royal Apartments and Ballroom are particularly opulent. The Ballroom is decorated in gold and white, with a beautiful parquet floor and crystal/glass chandeliers. When it is dark and the lights from the latter are reflecting off the mirrors and windows, it must be a wonderful site. The Senate Chamber and Marble Room are also lavishly decorated and very impressive.

Many of the rooms contain paintings, including a number by the Polish artist Jan Matejko, on the theme of "The History of Civilisation in Poland." There is also a Canaletto Room exhibiting works by that artist, but, unfortunately, this was closed on our visit. There are also some beautiful tapestries in the Galley of Four Seasons. The third floor has a collection of Decorative Arts/Objects including some interesting glassware, china, and large leather trunks for travelling.

There is a lot to see in the castle, a lot of details to take in, and a lot to interest a visitor, so I would suggest leaving a good 2 hours to fully see everything. There are two separate routes taking in different sections of the castle, but when we visited, the routes seem to have been combined, and trying to follow the layout of both of them was a little confusing and led to a certain amount of backtracking. That is, however, a very small criticism of a highly impressive and, as I said before, remarkable building.

Route I will take you around the Parliamentary Chambers, the Apartments of Prince Stanislaus, the Matejko Rooms and the Courtier’s Lodgings. Highlights include the Former Deputies Chamber decorated with the arms of the 32 regions of the Polish Commonwealth, the cramped room in the Great Tower, the Gallery of the Four Seasons with its fine paintings in the apartment of Prince Stanislaus (King Sigismund Augustus’ nephew), and Jan Matejko’s History of Poland paintings.

Route II will take you around the Great Apartments and the King’s Apartments. In contrast to the relatively Spartan decorations of the predominantly 16th- and 17th-century rooms of Route I, these second floor apartments are decorated in the far more ostentatious style of the 18th century King Sigismund Augustus. Highlights include the fabulous Great Assembly room with its gold inlaid decorations, and the Canaletto Room, which is home to the great artist's 23 views of the Warsaw suburbs.

There are also a number of temporary exhibitions, a café and a shop. If you have never seen an eastern European stately home then this is well worth a visit, but there is little extraordinary here.