History

Ożarów is first mentioned in the foundation charter of the village of Wierzbie from 1381. At that time, Ożarów belonged to a prince. The parish of Ożarów is first mentioned in historical records from 1440. In the mid-15th century, Ożarów came into the ownership of noblemen. In 1458, it was owned by Jan Mężyk of Dąbrowa. It was probably the place of residence of the Ożarowski family, of the Rawicz coat of arms. Historical records from 1500 mention Jadwiga Żychlińska, Szeliga coat of arms, from Zagórzyn, wife of the Kalisz voivode M. Lubrański, as the owner of the village. In the mid-16th century, the estate of Ożarów became the dowry of their daughter - Anna Lubrańska, the wife of Mikołaj Rusocki, of the Korab coat of arms. One hundred years later, Ożarów came into the ownership of the Grodzicki family of the Łada coat of arms. The next owners were the Tymiński family of the Nałęcz coat of arms. In 1669, they sold the estate to the Kulesza family of the Ślepowron coat of arms. From around 1740, Ożarów was owned by Władysław Bartochowski of the Rola coat of arms, the Treasurer of Sieradz, Master of the Hunt and the Castellan of Wieluń. It is the latter who is thought to have built the manor house with the corner extensions.

This is evidenced by the date of construction of the manor house, engraved on the ceiling beam in the fireplace chamber - 1757 and the initials L. R. (standing for Ladislaus Rola). Bartochowski was also the founder of the local church, built between 1742 and 1752 (the church burnt down in 1914).

During the construction of the manor house, a park was also set up. The oldest planted trees and shrubs can be found in the western part of the present-day park. The park was adjoined by a mixed vegetable and flower garden surrounded by trees. After Bartochowski’s death in 1779, the estate was inherited by his son Wojciech, Deputy Cup-Bearer of Wieluń.

A well-preserved situational plan from 1802 has survived. It shows a separate part of the courtyard with two corner buildings, which are connected by a fence with the entrance gate on the main axis. It was probably the first stage of the construction of the manor house complex, which was to be enlarged to gain a more prestigious appearance. The second courtyard was situated on the other side of the road and the continuously built-up area was arranged on a horseshoe plan, with wide openings towards the west.

An inventory from 1821 provides a detailed list of buildings included in the Ożarów manor-park and farm complex. It was drawn up in connection with the death of Anna Bartochowska, née Walewska, and the takeover of the estate by her two sons Stanisław and Kazimierz. In 1832, the brothers sold the estate to their nephew Ignacy Bądkowski. Probably around mid-19th century, the western corner extensions were converted into much larger outbuildings. Ożarów remained in the hands of the Bąkowski family until 1881, when it was sold to Wiktor Maręż, who in turn sold to Henryk Meske (Metzke) a year later. It was Henryk Meske who set up the landscape park which has survived to this day.

Fruit trees were planted in grass covered areas not overgrown by trees. Probably at the end of the 19th century, a two-storey outbuilding was erected, situated at the main entrance to the park, as well as a house for the coachman and the handyman. The bricks for the construction of the buildings were produced at a nearby, own brickyard, established in 1910. Next to the brickyard, there was also a sawmill belonging to the manor house. Both “factories” were steam powered by the same engine.

The administrative - office building standing next to the manor house dates to the 1920s. Its architectural details correspond to those used on the elevations of the lumber room and of the manor house itself. The property remained in the hands of the Meske family until 1945. After being taken over by the State Treasury, it was partially parcelled out. The manor house was adapted for use by an agricultural school. The park was taken over by Forest District of Cisowa. In the 1970s, the manor farm yard belonged to the State Agricultural Farm in Czarnożyły, while the manor house became the seat of the Museum of the Wieluń Region, which opened the Museum of Manor House Interiors there.

In the 1960s, the barns and the granary were demolished. Some time later, the house where the servants and farm workers had lived was demolished too. In the 1970s and 1980s, the manor house was renovated and its wooden part was rebuilt. Fragments of the original internal walls and the foundations were retained. At that time, the park area was regenerated, a fence with a new entrance gate was designed and new paths were laid out.

Description

The manor and park complex is situated in the south-western part of the village, to the west of the road from Mokrsko to Wierzbie. It is situated on the slope of a gentle hill belonging to the Ożarowskie Hills. The manor house is situated on the highest point of the slope, with the façade facing east. Behind the manor house towards the west, the slope of terrain was used to lay out the park in a terraced manner, descending towards two ponds, situated one behind the other on the axis transverse in relation to the axis of the manor house.

The wooden manor house with corner extensions erected in the 17th century (reconstructed in the 1970s) is covered with a high, four-hipped, Polish-type roof. The park with an area of ​​over 4 ha occupies the northern part of the complex. From the south, it is adjoined by the manor farm yard. The park together with the strongly transformed triangular eastern section follows a plan resembling the letter L. From the north-east, the park is bounded by the asphalt road running through the village. The eastern edge of the park (next to the road) is surrounded by a high wall built from bricks, bog iron and limestone. From the east, the area is fenced off with a wooden fence with a gate. There is an alley leading from the gate to the manor house, lined with old trees of many species. In front of the manor house, a circular driveway has been reconstructed. To the south-west of the manor house, there is a three-storey residential outbuilding. It stands on a small terrain hump sloping towards the west. The building is erected on a floor plan of a square-like rectangle. It is made of brick and is covered with a gable roof, with eaves protruding significantly beyond the face of the elevation. The outbuilding is covered with smooth plasterwork. The ornaments highlighting the façades include the brick claddings placed around the window and door openings.

http://www.muzeum.wielun.pl/ozarow; ozarow@onet.eu,

Compiled by Agnieszka Lorenc - Karczewska, Regional Branch of the National Institute of Cultural Heritage in Łódź. 6 February 2018

Bibliography

• Record sheet, Manor, park and farm complex. Ożarów, compiled by Małyszko S., 1993, Archives of the Voivodeship Monuments Protection Office in Sieradz
• Chudzik A., Park wiejski we wsi Ożarów, woj. Sieradzkie, Archives of the Voivodeship Monuments Protection Office in Sieradz
• Katalog zabytków sztuki w Polsce, województwo łódzkie,