History

Built during the Renaissance period (in 1546) for Nickel von Gelhorn. From 1584 to 1847 the manor house along with the land estate was the property of the von Zedlitz-Leipe family and then in 1847-1945 it was inherited by the von Mutius family. Initially a fortified manor, the building is believed to have originally featured a tall gable roof with Early Renaissance decorative gables. In the first half of the 18th century, it was replaced with a hip roof, with the interior layout and décor being likewise subjected to a redesign; the architectural detailing of the façade was also modified, with the plasterwork window surrounds being added during that period. In 1844, Karl Adolf von Zedlitz executed the restoration project of the manor house.

In 1857, the immediate surroundings of the mansion changed markedly as a result of the decision of Karl von Mutius to erect an ensemble of new manor farm buildings. During the late 19th century, a line of trees was planted on the causeway separating the moat and the pond, while in the early 20th century, a new pond accompanied by an orchard were set up in the eastern part of the manor farm. The gardens located north of the manor house and the ponds have continued to serve utility purposes, as they have done in the past.

From the last quarter of 19th century, the Będkowice manor estate - including the manor house itself - were held by various tenants.

Description

The moated manor house, maintaining spatial links with the nearby manor farm, is located in the centre of the village, preceded by a two-span brick and stone bridge which spans over the moat.

The building itself is a two-storey structure with a basement, designed on a rectangular floor plan and covered with a hip roof clad with ceramic roof tiles, with a series of eyebrow dormers breaking the monotony of its surface. The façades of the manor house are topped with a crowning cornice, while the windows are adorned with sandstone window surrounds as well as by profiled plasterwork bands. The front façade features an ornate sandstone portal with decorative reveals and an inscription on the architrave referring to the act of foundation of the manor and incorporating the date 1546 as well as the coat of arms of Nickel von Gelhorn. Above the portal there is a marble plaque with an inscription which refers to the members of the von Zedlits-Liepe noble family and accompanied by the family coat of arms. The rear façade features a simple, granite portal as well as embrasures in the basement-level walls, which can also be seen in the side façades. The interior follows a two-bay layout and features a vestibule which stretches across the entire width of the manor house. One of the downstairs rooms features a double barrel vault with pronounced groins, while another boasts a wooden ceiling with painted Regency ornamentation and a central panneau incorporating a hunting scene, dating back to the period between 1720 and 1730. The other rooms feature simple beamed ceilings. The building also boasts three profiled (fasciated) sandstone portals dating back to 1546, a Late Baroque fireplace dating back to ca. 1720-1730 – with lavish plasterwork decorations incorporating the von Zeidlitz coat of arms – as well as a cylindrical tiled stove from the late 18th/early 19th century, designed in the Classicist style. Inside the vestibule there is a marble inscription plaque commemorating the restoration of the manor house in 1844 by K. A. con Zeidlitz, which was originally embedded above the portal in the rear façade.

The manor house is a private property and is therefore not open to visitors.

Compiled by Beata Sebzda, The Regional Branch of the National Institute of Cultural Heritage in Wrocław, 2 October 2014.

Bibliography

• Degen K., Die Bau- und Kunstdenkmäler des Landkreises Breslau, Frankfurt am Main 1965, pp. 25-27.
• Katalog zabytków sztuki w Polsce. Seria Nowa (Catalogue of Art Monuments in Poland. A New Series), vol. 4: The Wrocławskie Voivodeship, Journal 2: Sobótka, Kąty Wrocławskie, Warsaw 1991, pp. 1-2, pictures 142, 156, 382, 383.
• Różycka-Rozpędowska E., Późnorenesansowe dwory śląskie (Late Renaissance Silesian Manor Houses). Z badań nad sztuką świecką Śląska XVI-XVII w. (Research Findings on Secular Art of Silesia in the 16th-17th centuries), [in:] Sztuka około 1600 r. Materiały Sesji SHS (Art around 1600. SHS Session Materials), Warsaw 1974, p. 254-255, 265.
• Różycka-Rozpędowska E., Dwór w Będkowicach (The Będkowice Manor House). Historical and conservation study, photographic survey, measurement survey. Wrocław 1975, a typescript in the Archive of the Voivodeship Monuments Protection Office in Wrocław.
• Słownik geografii turystycznej Sudetów (Dictionary of Tourist Geography of the Sudeten Mountains), vol. 20: Masyw Ślęży, Równina Świdnicka, Kotlina Dzierżoniowska (The Massif of the Ślęża Mountain, The Świdnicka Plain, The Dzierżoniów Basin), Wrocław 2005, pp. 78-80.
• Pilch J., Leksykon zabytków architektury Dolnego Śląska (A lexicon of monuments of Lower Silesia architecture), Warsaw 2005, p. 13.
• Zabytki sztuki w Polsce. Śląsk (Art Monuments in Poland. Silesia), Warsaw 2006, p. 101.