, built in 1838. The settlement of
Moczydło was present in the area by 1528. It was a small farming community, located on a road leading to
Imielin, within the
Catholic St. Catherine Parish. The village was owned and inhabited by a
petty nobility. Between 1580 and 1658, it and its adjusted farmlands had an area of approximately 9 hectares, and in 1661, it had 5 houses. The village was owned by the Dąbrowski family until 1725, when it was sold together with
Wolica to
Elżbieta Sieniawska, owner of the
Wilanów Estate, for the price of 60,000
złoties. She also ordered protection of the nearby
Kabaty Woods from
deforestation. At the end of the 16th century, King
John III Sobieski established within the area of the current Natolin, a designated royal area for animal hunting as part of the nearby
Wilanów Palace complex. In 1730, the estate owners,
Maria Zofia Czartoryska and
August Aleksander Czartoryski, leased it to King
Augustus II the Strong, who turned it into the
pheasantry. As such, the area became known as
Bażantaria (
Polish for
pheasantry). It was designed in
French Baroque style, with paths branching out away from the main building, similarly to those in
Palace of Versailles. In 1733, the property was returned to its owners. In 1780, August Aleksander Czartoryski begun the construction of his residence within the area, which later became known as the
Potocki Palace. The
Neoclassical palace was designed by a renowned architect
Szymon Bogumił Zug, while the interior design was prepared by
Vincenzo Brenna. It featured a distinctive half-open salon, with a view of the forest below the Warsaw Escarpment. Its construction was finished in 1782, and following Czartoryski's death the same year, it was inherited by his daughter,
Elżbieta Izabela Lubomirska. In 1799, it became a wedding gift to her daughter
Aleksandra Lubomirska and brother-in-law
Stanisław Kostka Potocki, and in 1805, it was inherited by their son
Aleksander Stanisław Potocki and his wife
Anna Tyszkiewicz. In 1807, following the birth of their daughter,
Natalia Potocka, the area was renamed after her to
Natolin. The palace was rebuilt in 1808, with new design done by
Chrystian Piotr Aigner, and again between 1834 and 1838, with design by
Enrico Marconi. In 1775, the village of Moczydło had 7 houses, and in 1785, 10 houses. In 1827, it had 10 houses and 80 inhabitants. Between 1850 and 1861, the population of Moczydło fought in court to lower costs of their
feudal duties. Following the
abolition of serfdom in 1864, the village was incorporated into the municipality of
Wilanów. At the time it was inhabited by 131 people and included 360 ha of privately owned farmland, and 36 ha of nobility-owned farmland. In 1905, it had 20 houses and 146 inhabitants. Following the end of the conflict, the farmlands of Moczydło were nationalised, and in 1956, they were donated to the
Warsaw University of Life Sciences. The ruins of the stable survive to the present day, now with the status of a protected
cultural property. During the
Warsaw Uprising, and following its end, the palace was devastated and plundered by German forces, together with other wealthy buildings in Natolin. In 1945, the Potocki Palace was nationalised, and placed under the administration of the
Warsaw National Museum. It was renovated and turned into the official residence of the
President of Poland,
Bolesław Bierut. Later it was used by the Council of Ministers Office. In 1992, the palace became the campus of the branch of the
College of Europe, with several other university buildings being develop around it. at Belgradzka Street, developed in the 1980s. Beginning in 1981, the series of housing estate the
Wolica and
Wyżyny, were developed in the area of Natolin, consisting of high-rise apartment buildings built in a
large panel system technique. Both developments were designed by Jacek Jan Nowicki. In 1994, the neighbourhood became part of the then-established city district of
Ursynów. Natolin Park and Potocki Palace, historically associated with it, became part of
Wilanów instead. In 1998, the district was subdivided into the areas of the
City Information System, with Natolin becoming one of them. Between 1992 and 2003, two Catholic temples were built in Natolin, including the
Blessed Ladislas of Gielniów Church at 3 Przy Bażantarni Street, and the Church of the Presentation of Jesus was also built at 21
Stryjeńskich Street. Between 2002 and 2004, the housing estate of VitaParc was developed in the area of 13 Stryjeńskich Street, consisting of five multifamily residential buildings. Throughout 2000s and 2010s, four urban parks were developed in the neighbourhood, including
Przy Bażantarni Park opened in 2008,
Moczydełko Park in 2009,
Birch Woods Park in 2010, and
Silent Unseen Park in 2016. == Characteristics ==