Today, it is particularly valuable due to the presence of the preserved stone detailing, lavishly decorated ceilings of both the flat and the vaulted variety as well as original interior fixtures and fittings, including the Renaissance fireplace in one of the rooms located in the eastern wing.

History

The manor house was erected during the 1560s for the von Spiller family, its structure partially incorporating the walls of an earlier, 15th-century structure which was gutted by fire in 1554. Later on, in the years 1627-32, the manor house underwent an extensive redesign and was extended through the addition of two new wings. In 1648, the manor house was damaged by fire, with the master brickmason named Mueller from Dziwiszów taking care of its subsequent reconstruction which has been completed by 1652. The owners of the manor house at that point were Joachim von Spiller and his wife Agnes von Zedlitz. The building was later modernised at the request of Christian Benedict von Kahl during the period around 1761. From 1838 onwards, the manor house was used exclusively as a utility building, serving as a smithy at some point in its history. The manor house was renovated in the early 20th century as well as in 1958; later on, however, the building remained disused for an extended period of time, which - along with the frequent changes in ownership during the late 20th century and early 21st century - had a detrimental effect on its overall condition. Today, the building is in the process of being restored.

Description

The palace is located at the outskirts of the town, east of its centre, at the top of a hill known as Zamkowa Góra (Castle Hill) reaching the height of 382 metres above sea level and forming part of the so-called Radomickie Hills. Designed on a U-shaped floor plan, the manor house consists of three wings surrounding a trapezium-shaped inner courtyard which is closed off from the south by a curtain wall. The building is a masonry structure made of split and field stones, its design a mixture of the Late Renaissance and Mannerist styles. The body of the manor house consists of a number of distinct sections having between 1 and 3 storeys, covered by separate, tall gable roofs. A steeple rises from the roof ridge of the eastern wing. Annexes adjoin the building to the south and the west, their separate roofs positioned perpendicularly towards the rest of the structure. The southern façade features a pair of triangular gables. The gable of the eastern wing is adorned with a volute-shaped coping, divided into horizontal sections by a series of cornices and featuring the remains of a wooden clock face, while the gable which graces the western wing is partitioned with both cornices and pilasters. Vestiges of faux sgraffito decorations from the early 20th century can still be seen on the building’s façades. The main entrance, leading through the southern curtain wall, is framed by a fasciated surround as well as by a portal with a semi-circular tympanum supported by pilasters. The tympanum itself incorporates the von Kahl and von Gottfried family crests. The windows are rectangular in shape and come in many different sizes, their arrangement being largely irregular. They are framed with fasciated sandstone surrounds, some of which also feature segmental or semi-circular window headers. An arcaded cloister supported by stout pillars with cubiform capitals and rather austere geometric decoration runs alongside the northern and western sides of the courtyard. The interiors feature a mixture of vaulted ceilings of the barrel and groin type as well as flat ceilings. Remains of period plasterwork on the vaulted ceilings as well as painted decorations on the flat ceilings can still be found inside the building.

An outbuilding made of split stone adjoins the south-eastern corner of the manor house. The outbuilding’s windows are adorned with eared window surrounds. At the present stage, the roof of the outbuilding is conspicuous by its absence. A Classicist palace erected in years 1834-38, an expansive, naturalistic landscape park with rock outcroppings and valuable specimens of various tree species as well as the Neoclassical mausoleum of the von Kramsta family (early 20th century) are located east of the manor house. A Baroque sacramental chapel of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary (1692) can be found in the vicinity of the palace, at the top of the hill.

The building can be viewed from the outside without restrictions. The interiors are currently undergoing renovation works.

compiled by Piotr Roczek, Regional Branch of the National Heritage Board of Poland in Wrocław, 03-11-2014.

Bibliography

• Słownik Geografii Turystycznej Sudetów. Vol. 2 Pogórze Izerskie, Vol. 2, M. Staff (ed.), Wrocław 2003, pp. 7-11.
• Zabytki sztuki w Polsce. Śląsk, Warsaw 2006, p. 548.
• Eysymontt K., Architektura renesansowych dworów na Dolnym Śląsku, Wrocław 2010.
• Łuczyński R., Zamki, dwory i pałace w Sudetach, Legnica 2008, pp. 240-247.