Building of the Zachęta National Gallery of Art, Art gallery palace in Śródmieście, Poland

The Zachęta National Gallery of Art building is a late historicist palace on Plac Małachowskiego in Warsaw, designed by Stefan Szyller and opened in 1900. Its symmetrical facade has a central portico with paired Corinthian columns, flanking wings with pilasters, and a glass-and-steel dome over the entrance hall. The interior centres on a grand staircase and top-lit exhibition halls.

The building opened in 1900 and became a national landmark within decades when President Gabriel Narutowicz was assassinated there in December 1922. This tragedy shaped how the palace is remembered as a place of historical weight for the nation.

The gallery's name, Zachęta, means "encouragement" in Polish, a nod to its founding role of supporting living artists. Since the 1990s it has run the Zachęta Art Award, a competition for young Polish artists, and it also stages the Polish presentation at the Venice Biennale. The building's interiors are regularly rearranged for large temporary shows.

The main entrance faces Plac Małachowskiego, with the exhibition halls arranged around a central staircase under the dome. Lifts serve the upper floors, and the ground floor and temporary exhibition spaces are step-free. The building sits a short walk from the Świętokrzyska metro station and several tram stops on Krakowskie Przedmieście.

Stefan Szyller, the renowned Warsaw architect, created his first major work with this building, which later became the foundation of his career. The original exhibition halls are equipped with natural overhead lighting systems that have been illuminating artworks naturally since 1900.