Domenico Merlini

Born in 1730, Domenico Merlini was an Italian architect who became one of the key designers working in Poland in the second half of the 18th century. He arrived in Warsaw around 1750 and trained in the workshop of Jakub Fontana, the royal architect.

After Fontana, he took over as royal architect and remained in that role until his death on February 20, 1797. He is especially remembered for his work for King Stanisław August Poniatowski and for helping define the elegant neoclassical look of late-18th-century Warsaw.

Merlini is most often associated with major royal and aristocratic projects, including important work connected with the Royal Łazienki in Warsaw. Even when details of his full life story are scarce, his legacy is easy to see in the lasting mark he left on Polish architecture.