Its importance lies not only in the clear historical context and the preserved spatial relations with the surrounding park and the associated farm facilities, but also in the authenticity of the form and character of the manor house itself.

History

The manor house and the neighbouring farm facilities were probably built in the late 19th century or at the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century; the architect remains unknown. According to the maintenance documentation, the structure underwent some alterations in 1908, however, their scope has not been determined thus far. Over the next decades, no major modifications were made to the building, which allowed it to preserve its original form and roof covering, its exterior design, and its style, indicating that the manor house was erected in the late 19th century or at the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century. Most likely, the building has not been modified, at least in terms of the external appearance, since the completion of the construction works, with the exception of the veranda, reconstructed in the recent years, which, according to the former residents of the house, was there before the wars. As opposed to the exterior, the original interior layout was partially modified during the post-war period. The activities, consisting in the division of a number of rooms into smaller ones, were related to the adaptation of the building for a PGR (State Agricultural Farm) office. During the renovations carried out in the recent years by the current owner, the original room layout was basically restored.

Description

The manor house is located in the southern part of Dzimierz, within a manor house and park complex situated on the west side of Rzuchowska Street. The whole complex is divided functionally into farm outbuildings and a representative part. The representative part of the complex, laid out in the southern part, consists of a small landscape park, probably established in the last quarter of the 19th century, and the manor house, being the central point of the composition, most likely constructed in the same period. The farm facilities, occupying the northern part of the complex, are brick buildings dated at the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century, including: a granary, barn, cowshed, stables, blacksmith’s shop, warehouse, and a four-flat residential building; the facilities are not covered by conservation protection.

The manor house, situated deep in the park, is a small, brick structure having the shape of a short rectangle, facing the farm outbuildings in the northern part of the site. The typical, two-storeyed, cuboidal structure is decorated with avant-corpses, including two ones situated approximately on the central axes of the south and west facades and one situated on the east façade, with an adjoining, reconstructed, one-storeyed veranda. The front façade looks different — on the central axes, there is a two-storeyed loggia, containing a representative entrance into the building on the ground floor and a balcony on the first floor. The whole structure is covered with a high hip roof of tiles, decorated with small two- and three-pitched roofs over the avant-corpses.

The facades feature the traditional, classical design in which the wall surface is divided horizontally into a socle level and two storeys of different heights. The divisions are accentuated by the high, two-level socle (at the basement level and below the windows), profiled string courses, and elaborate crowning cornices with decorative dentils. As for the back and side façades, the avant-corpses cut through the surface divisions, whereas the front façade is more stately due to its representative character. The six-axial front facade is divided symmetrically into three parts, of which the central one, framed by pilaster in the giant order, has the form of a two-storeyed loggia. Moreover, on the ground floor level, due to the location of the main entrance, the loggia is enclosed with a decorative two-bay arcade, supported by a central column and side piers, and a stone balustrade, embellished with frame-panel decorations, whereas on the first floor level, the gallery is only enclosed with a balustrade. The design of the façades is complemented by architectural details, mostly concentrated on the front façade, being a combination of modified Renaissance Revival elements of Italian and Dutch provenance, characterised by a fairly original arrangement, particularly in the loggia.

Analysis of the room layout leads to the conclusion that the asymmetry in the shape of the building and the design of particular façades (except for the front one) stems from the adjustment of the exterior form to the interior. On both residential storeys, there are basically three suites of rooms, arranged in three axes. The representative entrance to the building is located in the northern part of the central axis, whereas the side entrance, combined with a staircase, is located in the second suite on the west axis.

The building is private property; it can be visited from the outside.

compiled by Agnieszka Olczyk, Regional Branch of the National Heritage Board of Poland in Katowice, 4-08-2014.

Bibliography

• Karta informacyjna obiektu Zespołu pałacowo-parkowego [w Dzimierzu], opr. Pracownia Konserwatorska Akant, Archiwum WUOZ w Katowicach.