History

Tubądzin is a town first mentioned in historical records in the 14th century. It belonged to private owners, including the Krzyżanowski and Wężyk families. It is known that a wooden manor house existed here at the end of the 17th century.

The present day manor house was built in 1796. It was ordered to be built by the then owner of the nearby estates, Maciej Zbijewski.

In 1881, it became the property of the Walewski family. Kazimierz Walewski (the last owner of Tubądzin from the Walewski family) held there a collection of valuable family documents, portraits of members of the Walewski family, as well as an extensive library. During the Second World War, a part of the collection was lost and the manor itself was destroyed. The general renovation lasted from 1973 to 1984. The building was converted then into the branch of the District Museum in Sieradz - the Museum of Manor House Interiors. Apart from visiting the museum and relaxing in the park, guests may take part in chamber concerts and other events. The manor house is surrounded by a three-hectare park established at the turn of the 18th and 19th centuries, where one can admire numerous specimens of old trees. In its eastern part, there is a manor outbuilding, reconstructed after the war.

Description

The manor house is located in the eastern part of the village. It is surrounded by a park and the whole complex is fenced off. Access to the manor house is provided via the historical linden alley. The main entrance is situated in the western part of the complex.

Neoclassical architecture. The manor house was erected on the floor plan of a rectangle. The two-storey, rectangular structure is topped with a four-hipped mansard roof. The building is partly cellared. The foundations are made of brick and stone laid with lime mortar. The walls are made of brick, plastered on both sides. The wooden roof truss has a collar beam structure. 

The elevations are set on a slightly protruding plinth. In the ground floor part, they are rusticated. Above, there is a cornice dividing the storeys. On the first floor, the walls are smoothly plastered. The corners of the building are accentuated by pilasters. The whole is topped with prominent eaves cornices resting on corbels.

The southern elevation serves as the façade. In its central part, there is a columned porch. The Tuscan columns support the balcony on the first floor. The balustrade of the balcony is made of iron. The entrance to the manor house leads through the porch, with the door opening flanked by a pair of pilasters. In this elevation, there are four rectangular window openings on the first floor and another four on the ground floor. The ground floor windows are slightly smaller. The middle axis of the first floor, containing the balcony door, is emphasized by a pair of pilasters.

The eastern elevation has one entrance opening, decorated with a portal. On the first floor, there are two window openings. In the garden- facing (northern) elevation, there are no door openings at all. Three window openings were placed on the ground floor and five on the first floor. Just as in the façade, the central axis separated by a pair of pilasters is slightly wider than the other axes. The western elevation has three axes, but the fenestration pattern here is not symmetrical.

The manor house has been renovated several times. The renovations involved remodelling of the interiors. However, the original layout has been retained, with two suites of rooms, as well as with the larger rooms situated in the corners of the building and smaller rooms situated on its axis. Upon entry into the building, one finds oneself in a hall in which there is a staircase leading to the first floor and a door leading to the exhibition rooms.

The interiors of the manor house are typical for Polish manor houses of the 19th century. There contain lavishly furnished rooms, such as a lounge, a dining room, a study and a library. The exhibits come from various manor houses of the Sieradz region, as well as from the partly preserved collections of the Walewski family, who also left a valuable collection of portraits. Other noteworthy features include the stairs with a beautifully decorated handrail and a fireplace in the lounge on the first floor.

The manor house complex is open to visitors all year round, the interiors can be toured during the opening hours of the museum and during events.

Compiled by Anna Michalska, Regional Branch of the National Institute of Cultural Heritage in Łódź. 19 June 2017

Bibliography

• Ruszkowski A., Sieradz i okolice, Sieradz 2001
• Ruszkowski A., Sieradz i okolice przewodnik, Warszawa 1994
• Katalog Zabytków Sztuki w Polsce, Warszawa 1954, vol. II woj. Łódzkie