‘Of Polish Skies and Manners’: Baroque Rhythms with a Dutch Twist

Summary:

On 1 October 2004, a new Royal Netherlands Embassy building opened in Warsaw, Poland. Its striking, contemporary appearance surprises and seduces at the same time: glass, concrete and wood artfully intersect in a sophisticated design that champions transparency and openness. This four-year building project commissioned by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs was entrusted to the highly acclaimed Dutch architect Erick van Egeraat (b. 1956). His carefully conceived architectural programme invites a wider discussion on the ways in which embassy architecture can support the aspirations of modern diplomacy.

To this end, this article situates the Dutch Embassy building within the wider context of Dutch–Polish diplomatic relations and examines how its design contributes to defining the practice of Dutch diplomacy. It also proposes a comparative view of trends within Dutch embassy architecture by considering other contemporary examples in South America, Central Europe and Africa.