The design for the garden is the work of well-known and valued designers: Johann and Ernst Larass.

History

The first mentions of Dylewo date back to 1328; initially, Dylewo consisted of a manor established by Guenter von Schwarzburg, the commander od the Dzierzgoń commandry (Komturei). Until the mid-17th century, the owners of the manor changed rather frequently. From 1645 to the beginning of the 18th century it belonged to the Finck von Finkenstein family; in years 1860 - 1945, Dylewo was owned by the Rose (and later von Rose) family which transformed the property into one of the most efficiently managed manors in Eastern Prussia, with a modern farm and manor farm village. The palace and park complex was also extended. In 1908-1911, the Late Classical manor from the mid 19th century was extended through the addition of side wings according to a design by the architect Friedrich Paulsen. Franz Rose, the erstwhile owner, was a well-known patron of art and collector, hence the presence of works of the sculptor Adolf Wildt and the painter Albert Wellti in both the palace and its surroundings. The entire manor follows a deliberate spatial design, with a radial arrangement of the manor farms interconnected by a network of alleys running alongside the road, compositions of greenery in the fields as well as purposefully managed forested areas. The park, replacing an even earlier complex, was created in 1879 - 1911 according to a design by Johann Larass and his son Ernst. Designed in the neo-romantic style, the park was distinguished by its complex layout, the wealth of valuable tree species present in the park, the picturesque pond with islets and a canal as well as the numerous and highly original pieces of park architecture and the links to the surrounding landscape. A church (built in 1842 in place of an earlier Gothic temple) with ancestral mausoleum and cemetery stands in the park. In 1945 the main section of the palace was devoured by flames. During the 2nd half of the 20th century the property, divided among several users (State Agricultural Holding, school, residential apartments) was rapidly beginning to dilapidate; the wings of the palace were substantially modified and a large part og the manor farm buildings have been destroyed. The most impressive among all the decorative features present in the park - the marble monument with a portrait of Johann Larass sculpted by Adolf Wildt and set on an islet on the pond - was stolen in 2001. The few sculptures by Adolf Wildt that remained were removed from the site for conservation and are ultimately expected to become museum pieces.

Description

The complex is situated approx. 25 km to the south from Ostróda, by the road leading from Ostróda to Tułodziad. The layout of the complex is that of a typical manor incorporating a manor house and associated farm; the complex includes the remnants of the palace, a landscape park, relics of the buildings which once comprised the old manor farm complex and the manorial village. The existing wings of the palace - two-storey structures with flat roofs covered with roofing felt have been substantially modified and were deprived of their period features in the process. They are currently used as a school building (eastern wing) and residential building (western wing). The contemporary extension of the eastern wing serves to obscure the historic layout of the complex even further. The park, with an area of approx. 11 ha, has survived within its historic borders but is in a state of considerable disrepair. It consists of the eastern part, created during the 19th century, dominated by the palace and the church, as well as the western part, transected by an utility road, formed in the beginning of the 20th century and incorporating a 1.5-hectare pond with a canal. The surviving period features include parts of the valuable old growth of trees as well as dilapidated structures that have once lended a decorative flourish to the gardens: a stone grotto with a pond on the axis of the palace, traces of a gazebo above the grotto which had once provided an excellent view of the grounds, above the cave, four small bridges spanning the canal (made of brick, stone, steel and wood respectively, all in a state of disrepair) a stone bridge and a tunnel by the utility road. Split stones with sharp edges are the characteristic building material of the park architecture. Most of the constituent parts of the purposefully designed landscape have not survived to this day.

Unrestricted access to the park. The palace wings and church are available from outside.

Compiled by Marzena Zwierowicz, 12.12.2014 r.

Bibliography

• Dohna  U., zu Graefin   Gaerten und Parke in Ostpreussen, Herford 1993, p.123-126
• Jackiewicz Garniec M., Garniec M., Pałace i dwory dawnych Prus Wschodnich, Olsztyn 1999, p. 272.
• Lorck von, C., Landschlösser und Gutshäuser in Ost- und Westpreussen, Frankfurt am Main 1972, p.205.
• Zwierowicz M. Dylewo. Podzwonne dla Dylewa, dla majątku, dla parku, dla Dylewa,  Borussia no.33-34, p. 103-111  Olszyn 2004