The complex is an example of a 19th-century residence of landed gentry. It was designed in a landscape style.

History

In 1814, Count Antoni Ostrowski started the construction of a romantic palace in the English style in Tomaszów Mazowiecki. The works lasted until the 1830s. The park was established in the area around the palace, which stood on an elevated site. Originally, the area of ​​the park was much larger than it is today.

Near the palace, up to the edge of the escarpment, there is the so-called upper park, which includes the old trees (mainly oaks) retained from the forest that had previously existed there.

The first trees planted in the park come from the beginning of the 19th century. They can be found in the western part of the park. After the Ostrowski Family regained the palace complex in the 1850s, they leased the palace out several times and even sold fragments of the park. Just before the outbreak of the Second World War, the palace and its surroundings were to be purchased by the municipal authorities, but the plan remained unfulfilled. When the war ended, the area was divided into two main parts.

The part surrounding the palace is looked after by the Museum, which has its seat here.

The area next to the Wolbórka River (the so-called lower park), once partly covered by an orchard, is now occupied by a football pitch used by the local sports club Lechia. In the 1960s, Lechia moved to its new facilities and it was decided that the area would reopen as a municipal park. The works were completed in 1964. It was then given the name of the 20th anniversary of the People’s Republic of Poland. Today, it is called the “Solidarity” Urban Park.

Description

The palace complex is situated in the north-eastern part of the centre of Tomaszów Mazowiecki. From the north, it is adjacent to the Wolbórka riverbed, and from the south it adjoins POW Street. It covers an area of approximately 7 ha.

The area is divided into two parts. The part located on the escarpment, surrounding the palace, was partitioned off with a fence. The main entrance to the area is located in POW Street.

The lower part of the park is open to the public. The park area can be reached through the entrances situated in Mościckiego and Browarna Streets. Its central point is the fountain, from where the alleys running in different directions spread outward. There is a modern amphitheatre with a concert shell nearby. In the north-eastern part, there is a pond covering an area of ​​approximately 0.35 ha.

In the area next to ​​the palace, there are numerous examples of tree species of historical significance, some with the status of natural monuments. They include pedunculate oaks (with a circumference of over 300 cm) and horse chestnut trees, planted on a horseshoe-shaped plan. Small-leaved linden trees, horse chestnut trees, black alders, field elms and different varieties of pines grow on the slope of the escarpment. In the “lower” park, a vast majority of trees were planted in the 1960s. However, some old trees - alders, elms and trees of other species have been preserved too.

The site is accessible to visitors during the opening hours of the Museum. The urban park is open 24 hours a day.

Compiled by Anna Michalska, Regional Branch of the National Institute of Cultural Heritage in Łódź. 26 March 2020

Bibliography

• Ród Ostrowskich w dziejach Tomaszowa i Rzeczypospolitej, materiały z sesji naukowej, Tomaszów 1991