History

The mausoleum was erected in 1856 in the round-arch style (Rundbogenstil) as a tomb chapel for Friedrich Wilhelm von Brandenburg (died 1850), the erstwhile owner of the Domanice manor, the commander of the 6th Corps of the Prussian army stationed in Wrocław and the son of Friedrick William II (Friedrich Wilhelm II), the king of Prussia, born out of his morganatic marriage with countess Julia von Dönhoff The mausoleum design was developed by a man named Stieler, a construction counsellor based in Berlin; the works were performed by two contractors: Mr Wenzig, based in the area around Świebodzice, as well as another construction specialist named Vogel (from Wrocław), with the oversight of the works being entrusted to a Mr Brennhausen, a building inspector.

In 1989-1990, the mausoleum was adapted to serve as a funerary chapel, with the adaptation works including, but not limited to the replacement of the plasterwork, window and door joinery and roof cladding (with the original slate roof being replaced with a sheet metal one); in years 1994 and 1995, further renovation works were performed, with the interior and the façades being repainted.

Description

The mausoleum was originally located north of the nearby Evangelical church, which was later torn down somewhere around the year 1960; today, the mausoleum is located on the cemetery site, standing on the axis of an alley lined with lime trees.

It is a masonry structure with plastered walls, designed on a roughly square floor plan with a semi-circular apse and colonnaded portico. Perched atop a tall plinth, the mausoleum is crowned with an octagonal, arcaded lantern with a pyramid hipped roof. The bottom section of the building is rusticated. The octagonal lantern is framed by an elaborate cornice, with illumination being provided by round-arch triple windows separated by column-shaped mullions. The arches of the portico are supported by two Tuscan columns and two engaged rectangular pillars; the entire portico is topped with a flattened gable roof. An elongated plaque with an inscription is positioned above the portico.

The interior is designed on an octagonal plan and features four arcaded niches in the corners as well as an apse positioned opposite the entrance, originally incorporating an altarpiece and cross made of black marble. The middle section of the chapel features a highly decorative, wooden coffered ceiling. The vaulted crypt below is currently inaccessible.

The Mausoleum is open to visitors.

Complied by Beata Sebzda, Regional Branch of the National Institute of Cultural Heritage in Wrocław, 28 August 2015.

Bibliography

• Oelsner, Grabmal des Grafen Brandenburg in Domanze. Schlesische Provinzialblätter 1868, Jh.7, H. 3, p. 97-99.
• Pilch J., Leksykon zabytków architektury Dolnego Śląska (Lexicon of Architectural Monuments of Lower Silesia), Warsaw 2005, p. 63.
• Słownik geografii turystycznej Sudetów (Dictionary of Tourist Geography of the Sudeten Mountains), vol. 20: Masyw Ślęży (The Massif of Ślęża Mountain). Równina Świdnicka (The Świdnica Plain). Kotlina Dzierżoniowska (The Dzierżoniów Valley), Wrocław 2005, 148, 149.
• Zabytki sztuki w Polsce. Śląsk, Warsaw 2006, p. 241.