Polish Palaces/Castles

[Aleksandra]

During the times of Kingdom of Poland, Polish Kings and Magnates built numerous castles, palaces and residences on the territory of the whole country. Many of those buildings have a history as complex as the history of the lands on which they are placed. Due to the changes of Polish borders over time, many palaces of Polish nobility and Royal residences once located on the Polish Eastern Borderlands (Kresy) are now part of Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania.
I’d like to show you the most interesting Polish palaces and castles, hope you’ll enjoy it. 



Krasiczyn Castle
The founder of the Castle was Stanisław Krasicki, a descendant of the Masovian nobility (coat of arms: Rogala). The construction of the Castle began in 1580. Works lasted for 53 years, and the Castle was not completed until 1633. Originally, it was a fortified stronghold, protecting southern border of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. It was the son of Stanisław, Marcin Krasicki, who transformed an austere fortress erected by his father into a splendorous mansion. The Castle, as well as the nearby town founded by Marcin Krasicki, was named after its owner. The construction of the Castle was supervised by Italian architects, but the interior decorations were a work of the artists of Przemyśl. Despite numerous fires and wars across the centuries, the Castle’s complex has been essentially unchanged since the early 17th century. Built in a late renaissance style, as a square with walls representing all four quarters of the globe, at the corners there are four oval-shaped towers: Divine(with a chapel inside), Papal(it’s shape is a copy of the Papal tiara of Pope Clement VIII), Royal(with royal apartments), and Noble(topped with a crown - a copy of the crown of King Sigismund III Vasa). The significance of the castle was proven by numerous visits from the Polish Kings, such as Sigismund III Vasa, Własysław IV Vasa, John II Casimir and August II the Strong.
After the Krasiczyn branch of the Krasicki family died out, the Castle belonged to the Modrzewski, Wojakowski, Tarło, Mniszech-Potocki and Piniński families. In 1835 the Piniński family sold it to Prince Leon Sapieha, whose family owned the estate until 1944, greatly contributing to its development. At the beginning of the World War II, Castle was robbed by Soviet soldiers. After WWII it was taken over by the state, now it belongs to the Industrial Development Agency.
official website: http://www.krasiczyn.com.pl/en

[Aleksandra]

Książ Castle
The Castle was built in 1288-1292 by Prince Bolko I of Świdnica and Jawor, on the former site of a wooden castle destroyed in 1263 by Premysl Otakar II. Up to 1392 the Castle was a property of Piast dynasty. Since then by virtue of the succession treaty it has become the possession of Czech Crown. In 1508 Castle became a property of Jan von Haugwitz, who then handed it to Konrad I von Hochberg in 1509. Since then Castle has become the property of the Hochberg family, until 1941 when it was confiscated by German troops. At that time sons of the owners of the Castle fought against Hitler’s army – Jan Henryk XVII in British Army and Aleksander for Polish troops. The collections of Royal Prussia Library in Berlin were kept in Książ during the WWII. In 1943 Hitler’s paramilitary organisation ‘Todt’ had stormed into the Castle and began to construct one of the most important quarters for Adolph Hitler. At that time 1 km long tunnels beneath The Castle were build. The historians are not sure about the destination of those underground constructions as well as the tunnels in Góry Sowie. After WWII Książ Castle returned within Polish borders. Up to August 1946 Soviet troops stationed in the Castle, leaving it devastated. Complex restoration treatment has started in 1974. In 1991 Gmina Wałbrzych became the owner of the Castle. Książ Castle is the 3rd biggest castle in Poland.
official website: http://www.en.ksiaz.walbrzych.pl/

[LittleThunder]

  Magnificent !  Thanks for sharing.

[Aleksandra]

Moszna Castle
The central part of the castle is an old baroque palace, which was partially destroyed by fire in 1896 and reconstructed in the same year by Franz Hubert von Tiele-Winckler. The reconstruction works involved an extension of the residence. The eastern Neogothic-styled wing of the building was built by 1900. In 1912-1914, the western wing was built in the Neo-Renaissance style. The architectural form of the castle contains a wide variety of styles, thus it can be generally defined as eclectic. The whole castle has exactly ninety-nine turrets (99 was a number of the estates of Castle’s owner. This number was not accidental, according to the rules back then, if he had 100 estates, he would be forced to maintain a garrison). Inside, Castle contains 365 rooms with a total floorage of 7,000 sq.m.
Castle in Moszna was the residence of a Silesian family Tiele-Winckler who were industrial magnates, from 1866 until the spring of 1945 when they were forced to move to Germany and the castle was occupied by the Red Army. The period of the Soviet control caused significant damage to the castle's internal fittings in comparison to the minor damage caused by WWII. After WWII Castle did not have a permanent owner and was the home of various institutions. It is now a Public Health Care Centre for Therapies of Neuroses.







As any respectable Castle, Moszna has several of its own ghosts

[Jonathan]

Thank you for these wonderful pictures. I have been to Poland so many times. I stayed in a 'palace' that had been turned into a hotel.It's on the Warsaw.Krakow road. I wish I had seen some of these.

[Aleksandra]

Jonathan, then you were probably staying in the Świetokrzyskie Region where I live right now When Kraków was Polish capital, Świętokrzyskie was very popular region among Magnats, officials and bishops to built there their summer residences, there is also a Royal Castle Chęciny, most of the buildings are in ruins now, but the most of the ones that are still running are indeed turned into hotels, restaurants etc. Residences that were functioning before WWII were either robbed and devastated by Germans during the war or robbed and devastated by Russians in the communism period(in the name of brotherhood friendship between nations, I guess) or both. Restoration costs fortune so turning this places into businesses is the only way to keep them going

[Aleksandra]

Pszczyna Castle
Constructed as a castle in 13th century, in a gothic style, Castle in Pszczyna was rebuilt in a renaissance style in the 17th century. During the course of the 18th and 19th centuries, the exterior of the castle was partially changed into a baroque-classic style. The classicist modernization transformed the castle into what is usually described a palace. In its history the castle was a residence of local Piast dynasty members, then Promnitz family(mid 16th to mid 18th centuries) and later, von Pless family. During WWI, the palace was resided in by William II, German Emperor and there are pictures on display of him together with Erich Ludendorff and Paul von Hindenburg discussing war operations. After WWII for a brief period there was a Soviet military hospital in the palace, but on May 9, 1946 it was turned into a museum. In 2009 it was voted as one of the "Seven Architectural Wonders of the Silesian Voivodeship”.
official website: http://www.zamek-pszczyna.pl/?q=node

[Herzogin91]

Oh my! *atemberaubend* I never thouht that Poland has such marvellous places! I have to visit them!

[Skirt Queen]

Dziekuje, Aleksandra! These are gorgeous! Thankfully these palaces survived the war!

[Coya]

Wowwww!!!! Magnificent, gorgeous, thanks for sharing Aleksandra, now Poland is in my bucket list!

[Principessa]

Magnificient!

Thank you for posting 

[Aleksandra]

Royal Castle in Warsaw
From the 16th century (when Warsaw became the capital of the Crown of the Kingdom of Poland as King Sigismund III Vasa moved his court from Kraków to Warsaw in 1596) until the Partitions of Poland, Royal Castle in Warsaw was a place of personal offices of the King and the administrative offices of the Royal Court of Poland. In its long history the Royal Castle was repeatedly devastated and plundered by Swedish, Brandenburgian, German, and Russian armies. The Constitution of 3 May 1791, second constitution in world history, was drafted here by the Four-Year Sejm. In the 19th century, after the collapse of the November Uprising, it was used as an administrative centre by the Tsar. Between 1926 and World War II the palace was the seat of the Polish president, Ignacy Mościcki.
Castle before war:

In September 1939 the Castle burnt after the German bombing. During the subsequent occupation the Castle was plundered. On Hitler's orders, the Castle was due to be blown up at the beginning of 1940. The bomb unit drilled a number of holes to put dynamite in however, it was not until after the Warsaw Uprising when this order was carried out

In the years 1945-1970, the Communist authorities delayed making a decision on whether to rebuild the Castle. The decision to do so was taken in 1971. Funds for the reconstruction of the Castle, which took until 1980, were provided by the community. In 1980, the Royal Castle, together with the Old Town was registered as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Today it is a historical and national monument, and is listed as a national museum.
official website: http://www.zamek-krolewski.pl/en




 

 


Copper-Roof Palace
The Copper-Roof Palace has since 1989 been a branch of the Royal Castle Museum. The palace is contiguous with Warsaw's Royal Castle, and down a slope from the Castle Square and Old Town. It now hosts a collection of oriental carpets and other oriental decorative art, donated to the museum by Mrs. Teresa Sahakian.

[Aleksandra]

Prince Leon Sapieha, who bought in 1835 the Krasiczyn Castle (first one I posted), was a great-great-great-great-grandfather of Queen Mathilde of Belgium, from her maternal grandmother's (Zofia Maria Sapieha of Krasiczyn) side. The Sapieha family was one of the most powerful Magnates families of Poland and Lithuania, and its members were deeply involved in political and social life of Poland (Leon Sapieha was one of the commanders of the November Uprising), and it is the only really decent part of Mathilde's Polish heritage. Komorowski family, from Mathilde's maternal grandfather's side, is rather despicable bunch 

[Jonathan]

I've been to Warsaw a lot and I still haven't uncovered all it's secrets. I am definitely going to go to the castle next time. And keep away from the chocolate and coffee cafe.

[DowntownTO]

This is a gorgeous thread, Aleksandra  . And thanks for also posting the website links so that we can explore these lovely places thoroughly at our leisure.