History

Bronów is a village dating back to medieval times. In the 18th century, it became the property of the Konopnicki family. From 1862 to 1872, the writer Maria Konopnicka lived here with her husband Jarosław. Country life inspired her to write a few books. According to the preserved records, the manor house in which the couple lived was a larger version of a peasants’ hut and was hardly suitable as a residence of nobility. It was a low thatched house. built from larch wood. Four small windows delivered natural light to the interior at the front. In the centre, there were double doors leading to a small hallway. Inside, there were five rooms (including a lounge and a dining room), a cupboards room, a kitchen, a pantry and two utility rooms. In 1872, the property (heavily burdened with debt) was sold to Artur Dzierzbicki. In 1902, the new owner built the existing manor house, retaining only the southern wall and the eastern part of the old building. For many years, the building was used as a primary school. At present, it houses the Museum of Education and Maria Konopnicka and a branch of the Sieradz Library. In 2009, the building underwent a major renovation.

Description

The manor is situated to the south of the voivodeship road 469 leading from Uniejów to Wartkowice. It is surrounded by a vast park. The façade faces west. The object does not represent any style.

The manor house was built on a rectangular plan with a square porch from the east and a rectangular annex from the south. The single-storey structure with a usable attic is partly cellared.

The building is set on field stone foundations, the walls are mostly made of brick, with the exception of the southern wall and a fragment of the eastern wall, which are wooden. The roof truss is wooden, with a rafter and purlin structure. The whole is covered with a gable roof clad with sheet metal.

The elevations are set on a plinth. The eastern elevation serves as the façade. In the central part, there is a porch accessed via steps. The porch has its own, flat roof. The resulting terrace area is surrounded by a balustrade in the attic section. The front porch door is flanked by two oblong window openings. Each of the side walls of the porch has three such openings. In this elevation, there are four rectangular window openings on the ground floor and two in the cellar. In the attic, the mansard roof contains an entrance opening leading to the terrace. It is a gable mansard roof, positioned perpendicularly to the surface of the main roof. The northern elevation has three window openings on the ground floor and one in the attic. The western elevation has two door openings and two window openings. The southern elevation is adjoined by an extension with one door opening and one window flanked by two blendes. Above, there is a triangular gable of the attic.

The interiors have two bays and a half, with a larger room from the north. The enfilade layout is still discernible in some parts.

The present-day interiors have been adapted to serve as a museum and a library. The exhibition presents the writer’s memorabilia and items associated with the history of education.

The site can be viewed from outside all year round. The interiors can be visited during the opening hours of the museum/library.

Compiled by Anna Michalska, Regional Branch of the National Institute of Cultural Heritage in Łódź. 3 June 2020

Bibliography

• Na Sieradzkich szlakach, 1993, no. 1
• Na Sieradzkich szlakach 1995, no. 4
• Olszewski B., Od Piątku do Soboty, Łódź 2007
• Ruszkowski A., Sieradz i okolice, Sieradz 2000