Originally built during the second quarter of the 19th century, the manor house itself was subsequently extended in the 1870s, based on the design by the architect Franciszek Maria Lanci.

History

The first mentions of the village in written sources date back to 1401. During the 16th century, the land remained in the hands of the Milanowski family; later on, towards the end of the 17th century, the village was purchased by Józef Firlej from Dąbrowica. From 1742 onwards, Milanów remained the property of the Potocki family of the Pilawa coat of arms. In 1814, when dividing his estate, Seweryn Potocki donated Milanów to his daughter, Wanda Julianna, who had first been married to count Kajetan Uruski and then, from 1837 onwards, to Bernard Caboga. It was Wanda Caboga who put all the affairs of the manor in order, extending it further by purchasing the neighbouring granges. The single-storey, brick manor house - which might have originally started its life as a hunting lodge - was also erected at her initiative, much like the accompanying manor farm buildings. She also provided the funds for the construction of an infirmary and a church in Milanów. Later on, Milanów was inherited by Wanda’s only son, Seweryn Uruski, the author of a popular book of heraldry and the husband of Hermansja Tyzenhauz. When their elder daughter, Maria, married duke Włodzimierz Światopełk-Czetwertyński in 1872, Milanów was given to her as her dowry. The manor was extended yet again at that point; the manor house itself underwent a significant redesign, with two-storey side wings designed by Franciszek Maria Lanci being added to the original structure; in addition, an administrator’s house and a carriage-horse stable were also erected, followed by a distillery in 1885. The family itself used their manor to further their objectives in the field of providing support to both the local farmers and the persecuted followers of the Uniate church. In his manor house, Włodzimierz Czetwertyński amassed a valuable collection of books - one of the largest in the surrounding area - which was then inherited by his oldest son, Seweryn, who transferred a part thereof to his own residence in the nearby village of Suchowola, while the rest was taken to the capital city, where it would unfortunately later perish during the Warsaw Uprising; the very few books which did survive were later donated to the general secondary school in Milanów. In 1921, Maria Czetwertyńska had the administrator’s house converted into an elementary school. Following her death in 1931, Milanów was inherited by her daughter Wanda, the wife of count Andrzej Żółtowski. The land remained in the hands of the family until 1944, after which they were nationalised, with the manor house being used as a general secondary school.

Description

The residential complex is located at the eastern edge of the village. It consists of a manor house (which would be more accurately described as a palace) surrounded by a park, accompanied by a large ensemble of manor farm buildings. The manor house was designed in the Eclectic style, with most architectural features pointing towards the Italian Renaissance. It was erected in two stages, with the earlier, middle section most likely originating from the second quarter of the early 19th century. This section, the interiors of which were later remodelled during the second half of the 19th century, is a single-storey, two-bay structure, its two suites of rooms separated by a hallway. The middle part of the manor house is flanked by a pair of massive, two-storey wings added during the 1870s: the southern wing with an orangery as well as the northern wing with an annex designed as servants’ quarters. The manor house is a brick building, its walls covered with plaster. The front façade is asymmetrical in overall design and features about a dozen axes of symmetry; the middle section is a single-storey structure with an avant-corps in the middle; the main entrance, preceded by a small porch, is located on the southern side of the avant-corps. On the other side of the building, a second porch (arcade) runs along the entire length of the single-storey section of the palace overlooking the gardens beyond. The façades of the two-storey side wings are partitioned by string courses positioned at some distance apart from one another; the orangery façades are also adorned with pilasters. Some of the windows are single, rectangular in shape, while others are of the paired type, rectangular or topped with semicircular arches. The ground floor section features rectangular windows framed with small pilasters which support sections of simplified entablature above, while the first floor windows are topped with semicircular arches in profiled archivolts. The southern façade features tondi incorporating sculpted busts of M. Konopnicka and A. Mickiewicz. The middle section of the manor house is covered with a gable roof, while the side wings feature hip roofs, all clad with sheet metal. The roofs of the side wings feature pronounced eaves and small gablets supported by decorative wooden corbels. Inside, one can still admire some of the original fixtures and fittings, including the window and door joinery, plasterwork as well as a decorative fireplace surround and a white tiled stove. An impressive administrator’s house and the carriage-horse stable (later converted into a residential building) are located in the vicinity of the manor house itself; both of these buildings still retain their original overall shape and façade décor. In addition, the surrounding grange also encompasses a distillery and a few other buildings. The park, designed in the English style, features a natural layout of alleys, now partially obscured, as well as a formal lawn and driveway in front of the manor house and a large garden space behind the building. The park is adjoined to the north-east by the utility orchards with the former orangery (now converted into a residential building).

The historic complex is partially accessible to visitors; the manor house currently serves as an upper-secondary school.

compiled by Bożena Stanek-Lebioda, Regional Branch of the National Heritage Board of Poland in Lublin, 13-06-2015.

Bibliography

• Czetwertyński A., Czetwertyńscy, Warsaw 2004, passim.
• Fijałkowski D., Kseniak M., Parki wiejskie Lubelszczyzny - stan ochrona i rewaloryzacja biocenotyczna, Warsaw 1982, pp. 144-145, fig. 10.
• Jodłowski A., Dzieje obiektów zabytkowych z wybranych miejscowości północno-wschodniej części woj. lubelskiego, Biała Podlaska 2002, pp. 75-77.
• Koprukowniak A., Ziemiaństwo Lubelszczyzny i Podlasia w XIX i XX wieku, Radzyń Podlaski - Lublin 2005, passim.
• Koprukowniak, Aktywność społeczna i dobroczynna Wandy Julianny z Potockich herbu Pilawa hrabiny Caboga (1788-1876) [in:] Ziemiaństwo na Lubelszczyźnie III. Panie z dworów i pałaców, vol. 2, Łaszkiewicz H. (ed.), Lublin 2007, pp. 256-268.
• Górska z Łubieńskich M., Gdybym mniej kochała. Dzienniki lat 1889-1895, Warsaw 1996, passim.
• Pudelska K., Rudnicka E., Ogrody zimowe na przykładzie oranżerii dworskich w Milanowie w powiecie parczewskim, “Teka Komisji Architektury, Urbanistyki i Studiów Krajobrazowych”, 2010, pp. 56-62.
• Żółtowski A., Biblioteka milanowska książąt Czetwertyńskich [in:] Ziemiaństwo na Lubelszczyźnie, compiled by Maliszewska R., Kozłówka 2003, pp. 535-554.
• Żółtowski A., Maria Włodzimierzowa z Uruskich księżna Światopełk-Czetwertyńska, szkic do biografii [in:] Ziemiaństwo na Lubelszczyźnie III. Panie z dworów i pałaców, vol. 1, Łaszkiewicz H. (ed.), Lublin 2007, pp. 67-78.