Schinkel. The renovation and upgrading of the palace count as exemplary executions performed in the region.

History of the structure

The palace was erected in the years 1860-1863 by the then owner of the estate, General Robert Friedrich von Waldow. It was designed by an architect based in Berlin, Georg Heinrich Hitzig. In the late 19th century, when the estate belonged to Bernhard von Waldow, the arrangement and décor of the interiors were redesigned. After World War II the palace housed an orphanage, while after 1959 it was used as an amenity and administrative building of the State Agricultural Holding in Mierzęcin. The building became abandoned after the closure of the State Agricultural Farm in 1991. In 1998 the palace, together with the manor farm and the park, found itself in private hands and since 2001, after the completion of the major refurbishment and upgrading, it has functioned as a hotel.

Site description

The palace is located to the north-east of the village dwellings, on a terraced bank of the Mierzęcinka river. A vast, Romantic landscape park stretches around the residence, while on the south side, there is a complex of manor farm buildings. The complex, occupying the area of approx. 24 ha, is an example of a Romantic complex erected in the spirit of the English Gothic Revival, inspired by a design of the Babelsberg castle authored by Karl Friedrich Schinkel. The building is made of brick, set on foundations made of granite stones, erected on an elongated rectangular floor plan, with faux projections on the front and garden façades and featuring a tower on the south side. The two-storey block is diversified by three-storey projections and a four-storey, octagonal tower. The plastered façades are crowned with a crenellated parapet and adorned with pinnacles on corners of particular sections. A dominating element is a portico in front of the main projection of the front façade, pierced by three arcades terminating in a Tudor arch, crowned with a terrace on the second storey featuring a balustrade adorned with statues of eagles placed on corners. The upper storey of the projection, positioned on the central axis, features a cartouche presenting the coat of arms of the von Waldow family. A terrace and representational stairs are visible on the garden-facing side, in front of the entrance. A hallway functions as a compositional axis of the complex, behind which there is a garden room with a terrace leading to the park. A mirror ballroom is situated on the right side of the garden room.

Visitor access. Heritage site accessible to the general public. It can be visited upon prior telephone arrangement.

Author of the note: compiled by Marta Kłaczkowska, Regional Branch of the National Institute of Cultural Heritage in Zielona Góra, 24-11-2017

Bibliography

• Garbacz K., Przewodnik po zabytkach województwa lubuskiego, vol. 3, Zielona Góra 2013, pp. 317-318;
• Kowalski S., Zabytki architektury województwa lubuskiego, Zielona Góra 2010, pp. 221-222.
• Zamki, dwory i pałace województwa lubuskiego, Bielinis-Kopeć B. (ed.), Zielona Góra 2007, pp. 179-181.