History

The palace was erected in years 1834-1838 for Johann von Dolan (although some sources state instead that the investor was Balthasar von Hayn); the actual construction works were carried out by the Scholz brothers, based in Lwówek Śląski. The surrounding landscape park was designed by Jacob Heinrich Rehder, with Eduard Petzold also taking part in the project. In 1879, the palace was acquired by the von Kramsta noble family. The side wings of the palace were added at the turn of the 20th century. From ca. 1947 onwards, the palace has served as an agricultural school, while between the 1960s and the 1980s it became home to a preventorium maintained by the Ministry of Higher Education. In 1978, the palace underwent restoration; after the preventorium was closed, the palace was purchased by the Economic Academy in Wrocław. The new owners had plans to turn the palace into a conference and recreational centre. However, in the course of renovation works, a fire broke out inside the palace on 27.03.1992 during late night hours, possibly due to arson. Today, the palace remains in private hands; the renovation works are currently on hiatus, although the building has been duly protected against the elements.

Description

The palace is located east of the town, 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. It is a brick and stone building erected on a relatively narrow rectangular floor plan, its longer axis positioned along the east-west line. The palace is compact in shape and consists of the main body and two slightly narrower side wings. The entire structure is covered with multi-faceted roofs. The southern façade incorporates a shallow avant-corps, its floor plan taking the form of a circular segment. The avant-corps is crowned with a curving gable. The northern façade also features an avant-corps - a five-axial structure designed on a rectangular plan, topped with a tympanum and preceded by a low, single-storey porch with a colonnaded portico surmounted by a small terrace. The façades originally had a plasterwork finish, although today they are mostly devoid of any decorative flourishes. The individual storeys are separated by a broad cornice, with the pronounced crowning cornice beneath the eaves providing the finishing touch. The window openings are rectangular in shape, arranged in a regular pattern and framed with narrow, eared surrounds, with the first-floor windows also featuring profiled, segmental window headers. The main entrance is located in the northern part of the palace, preceded by a Doric portico. The interiors are closed to visitors.

An expansive, naturalistic landscape park surrounds the palace, its main features being the eye-catching rock outcroppings as well as valuable specimens of old trees. A mausoleum of the von Kramsta family, built in the early 20th century in the Neoclassicist style, is located in the western part of the park. South of the palace lies a Baroque sacramental chapel of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary (1692), while a Renaissance manor house accompanied by an ensemble of manor farm buildings can be found west of the main residence.

The building is closed to visitors (reconstruction works in progress). It is located on a piece of land protected by a fence.

compiled by Piotr Roczek, Regional Branch of the National Heritage Board of Poland in Wrocław, 27-10-2014.

Bibliography

• Słownik Geografii Turystycznej Sudetów. Vol. 2 Pogórze Izerskie, part I, M. Staff (ed.), Wrocław 2003, pp. 10-11.
• Zabytki sztuki w Polsce. Śląsk, Warsaw 2006, p. 549.