History

The first mention of Chotków in written sources dates back to around 1300. In 1328 duke Henry of Żagań sold the property to the von Nostitz family and it remained in their hands until the mid- 16th century. The original defensive manor, erected between 1440 and 1490, was rearranged after 1559 in the palazzo in fortezza style by another owner, Fabian von Schoenaich. The Renaissance manor was surrounded by an earthen rampart and defensive walls with four roundels at the corners.  In 1709 the manor house was transformed into a Baroque residence for Count Georg Christoph von Prosskau. At his initiative, the décor of the front façade was modified, the roundels were extended upwards and received a form of cylindrical towers, plus a decorative garden was arranged on the south side. The land taken over by the town of Szprotawa in 1732 was leased. In the 19th century two roundels at the rear façade were destroyed and utility buildings were erected in front of the palace. After World War II, theproperty was taken over by the State Treasury and handed over to a State Agricultural Holding. In the 1980s the manor house underwent renovation. In the early 21st century the roofs of the manor house and of both towers were replaced with new ones. Currently, the buildings remain in private hands.

Description

The complex is located in the central part of Chodków, at a junction of roads leading to Jelenin, Brzeźnica and Wichów. The manor house and two towers in front of its front façade are located further in the area, on a slightly elevated land. The main entrance, located on the south side, leads through a vast courtyard and over a backfilled fragment of the moat. The manor house is made of stone and bricks, designed on a rectangular floor plan, has two storeys and a basement and is covered with a mansard roof. The façades are partitioned by lesenes. On the front façade axis there is a stone portal and a decorative balcony with an openwork stone balustrade featuring decorations in the form of stylised acanthus leaves. A keystone of the door surround includes a plaque with a date reading “1709”, while above the entrance there is a relief cartouche with a coat of arms. Inside, there is a preserved Renaissance layout of basements and a corresponding two-bay layout of the ground floor with a vestibule on the axis. The ground floor features a corner room on the south-west side, surmounted with a stellar vault, while the north-west corner room features a barrel vault with lunettes. There is a preserved Baroque fireplace from the 18th century. Two free-standing towers, set on a circular floor plan, are covered with conical roofs. The hexagonal interiors include trompe l’œil paintings.

Limited access to the historic building. Private property – the building can only be viewed from the outside.

compiled by Anna Jackiewicz, Regional Branch of the National Institute of Cultural Heritage in Zielona Góra.02-11-2017 

Bibliography 

• Bielinis-Kopeć B. (ed.), Zamki, dwory i pałace województwa lubuskiego, Zielona Góra 2008, pp. 62-63.
• Garbacz K., Przewodnik po zabytkach województwa lubuskiego, vol. 2, Zielona Góra 2012, pp. 196-197.
• Kowalski S., Zabytki architektury województwa lubuskiego, Zielona Góra 2010, p. 64.
• Zabytki sztuki w Polsce. Śląsk, Warsaw 2006, p. 203.