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Notes from Poland is run by a small editorial team and is published by an independent, non-profit foundation that is funded through donations from our readers. We cannot do what we do without your support.
A private techno music party held in the grounds of the 17th-century Wilanów Palace in Warsaw has caused anger, with many asking how it was allowed to take place and expressing concern over potential damage to the site and harm to local wildlife.
The local authorities insist that all necessary permissions for the concert were obtained and that no damage was caused to historic buildings. However, the management of the palace, which is a state museum, has apologised for any inconvenience the concert caused.
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The party took place from Saturday afternoon until the early hours of Sunday morning, with thousands of people crowding around a stage set up on a lawn in the courtyard of the palace.
Wilanów Palace was built in the late 17th century for John III Sobieski, the King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania. It is a rare example of a building in the city from that period that survived Poland’s subsequent partitions and the destruction wrought by the German occupiers in World War Two.
After the event finished on Sunday, images and videos began to appear on social media showing large amounts of rubbish left at the site and apparent damage to the grass on the palace’s lawns.
Many local residents also complained about noise and other disruption caused by the concert. Some expressed concern about the harm the event could have caused to local wildlife, especially as the palace sits next to a nature reserve.
Zwiedzajacym pałacowy park w Wilanowie nie można siadać na trawnikach, biegać, używać odtwarzaczy i głośników oraz płoszyć zwierząt mieszkających w parku, ale jak milionerzy wymyślili sobie imprezę techno to spoko. pic.twitter.com/aec0Gbbumf
— Milena Skarbek (@Utkanazesnow) May 11, 2026
“Mr Mayor [Rafał] Trzaskowski, how is it possible that no city authorities were present at the techno party breaking every norm in Wilanów Palace?” wrote Jan Mencwel, a city councillor and prominent local activist, on social media. “Warsaw has never seen such destruction of nature and a historic monument before.”
One widely shared social media post noted that, normally, visitors to the palace park are not allowed to “sit on the lawns, run, use music players and speakers, or frighten the animals living in the park, but when millionaires fancy a techno party, that’s fine”.
Many figures from the national-conservative opposition Law and Justice (PiS) party also condemned the event. “What happened at Wilanów Palace is shocking. Contempt for the place, contempt for the rules. A monument unique in Polish history treated like a rubbish dump,” wrote former PiS Prime Minister Beata Szydło.
Warsaw’s mayor, Trzaskowski, is a deputy leader of the centrist Civic Coalition (KO), Poland’s main ruling party.
Panie Prezydencie @trzaskowski_ jak to możliwe, że żadnych służb miejskich nie było na imprezie techno łamiącej wszelkie normy w Pałacu w Wilanowie? Takiego niszczenia przyrody i zabytku jeszcze Warszawa nie widziała. A Miasteczko Wilanów nie spało tej nocy… pic.twitter.com/mzxFAwqydx
— Jan Mencwel (@JanMencwel) May 10, 2026
Amid the growing anger, on Monday, the Provincial Conservator of Monuments (MWKZ), which had granted permission for the event to take place, issued a statement.
It said that an inspection of the site afterwards had shown “no damage to the historic buildings” but did reveal damage to paving surfaces, which, along with the lawns, would be restored “in the coming days”.
MWKZ noted that, initially, it had denied permission for the event, but allowed it to take place after the organisers reduced the amount of infrastructure that would be used and added further provisions to protect historical buildings. “Based on the documentation submitted, there were no grounds for refusing the event.”
Shortly afterwards, the museum that operates the palace issued a statement of its own, saying that the event had taken place with all “required administrative permits and in accordance with applicable regulations, including those regarding the protection of historical monuments”.
It said that the museum had taken measures to protect historical monuments and that the organisers of the party were required to “repair minor damage” to paving and grass after the event. Steps were also implemented to “limit the acoustic impact of the event” on the surrounding area.
However, the museum acknowledged that “organising an electronic music event in the space of a historic royal residence may have evoked a variety of public reactions” and added that “we apologise to anyone who experienced any inconvenience related to the event”.
Meanwhile, the spokeswoman for Warsaw city hall, Monika Beuth, told the wPolityce news website that Wilanów Palace is not a municipal institution but is under the purview of the culture ministry.
Culture minister Marta Cienkowska said that the management of the museum does not need to ask the ministry for permission to organise events.
“I must admit it was a risky decision. Personally, I don’t know if I would have made the same one,” said Cienkowska, quoted by Polsat News. “The most important thing now is to review the process, to check whether everything went according to the guidelines.”
Notes from Poland is run by a small editorial team and published by an independent, non-profit foundation that is funded through donations from our readers. We cannot do what we do without your support.
Main image credit: Robert Kowalewski / Agencja Wyborcza.pl
Daniel Tilles is editor-in-chief of Notes from Poland. He has written on Polish affairs for a wide range of publications, including Foreign Policy, POLITICO Europe, EUobserver and Dziennik Gazeta Prawna.
