History

The existing palace and park complex was built on the site of earlier residences of the local nobility, the first mentions of which date back to the second half of the 16th century. The estate came through the hands of numerous owners, including members of the Wiśniowski, Łaszcz, Sapieha and Gołuchowski families. In 1793, the land was acquired by Adam Szydłowski, a judge from the Hrubieszów district, who erected a brick manor house in the Classicist style before the year 1836. In 1842, the land was inherited by his son, Antoni Szydłowski, who founded one of the oldest sheep farms in all of the Kingdom of Poland. The process of transformation of the manor house into a palace is believed to have commenced in the late 19th century, although only reaching completion when the manor changed hands once again, becoming the property of Edward Chrzanowski from Moroczyn, who acquired it in 1902, as well as his daughter Theresa, the wife of Wincent Rutkowski, who subsequently took over the land in 1908. All that was left of the former manor house was its middle section, with both side sections being extended upwards to form a pair of impressive wings. A single-storey wing was added towards the north, most likely intended to serve as a kitchen and connected with the outbuilding next to it by means of a wall with gateway. Following the nationalisation of the estate in 1946, the palace continued to serve as office space for various institutions. From 1968 onwards, the palace and manor farm complex has been in the hands of the Agricultural Experimental Plant. Having suffered damage during both world wars, the palace was restored in years 1952, 1980 and 1988, which, however, brought about substantial alterations of its interiors.

Description

The palace and park complex is located on a tall plateau near the Huczwa river, at the south-western edge of the local settlement, on the southern side of the Zamość-Hrubieszów motorway, encompassing the palace itself as well as the administrator’s building, the outbuilding, the gateway, the park and the remnants of the now-defunct stables, of which only a few columns now remain.

The palace, incorporating numerous features of the Classicist style, consists of the single-storey middle section and a pair of two-storey wings positioned perpendicularly towards it, its front façade facing the east. An elongated, single-storey additional wing adjoins the building to the north, extending ahead of the façade which faces the garden. The middle section features a two-bay interior layout, while the layout of the two-storey sections follows a three-bay design; all of the interiors have undergone significant alterations since the time of their construction. The palace is a brick building, its wall covered with plaster, featuring wooden beamed ceilings between individual storeys and barrel vaults above some of the basements. The roofs are covered with sheet metal, with a gable roof above the middle section and hip roofs above the wings. The tripartite front façade follows an eleven-axis layout. The middle section is a single-storey structure following a five-axis layout and incorporating a recessed portico with four columns, concealing the windows and doors positioned at the edges of the section. The side wings are two-storey structure following a three-axial design with middle axes accentuated by means of blind windows and arcades adorned with decorative surrounds, divided by string courses and topped with a simplified entablature with a corbelled frieze; the corners of the facades are accentuated with pilasters. The windows are rectangular in shape, framed with profiled surrounds, their cornices resting upon small corbels. The southern façade features a similar layout and divisions, while the rear façade follows the overall design of its front counterpart, albeit with a reduced amount of architectural detailing. Virtually none of the original fixtures and fittings of the palace have survived to the present day. The residential outbuilding lies in parallel to the northern wing of the palace; both buildings are connected by means of a section of a wall incorporating a decorative gateway. Designed on an elongated rectangular floor plan, the outbuilding is a single-storey building with a two-bay interior layout, divided into a multitude of rooms. The building is made of brick and covered with a gable roof. The façades of the outbuilding, the gate and the wall from the courtyard side all follow an architectural design and divisions made to resemble those of the palace. The administrator’s building is believed to have been constructed in the second half of the 18th century in the vicinity of the palace itself; during the 19th century, this building has seen a series of alteration works. Designed on a floor plan approximating that of a square, it is a single-storey building with a converted attic, with basements under parts of the structure. Originally, the building featured a tripartite, three-bay interior layout. It is a brick structure with walls covered with plaster, covered with a mansard roof with jerkin heads. The façade divisions are achieved through the use of lesenes and framing, with the façade showing signs of long-gone windows. The park consists of a more formal section located in the vicinity of the palace, following an axial layout and circumscribed by lines of trees, featuring an access alley, an extensive formal lawn up front and a small decorative garden space in the back - as well as of a more natural, wooded section known as the oak grove, initially serving as a hunting park surrounded by a walking path.

The historic complex is partially accessible to visitors.

compiled by Bożena Stanek-Lebioda, Regional Branch of the National Heritage Board of Poland in Lublin, 12-01-2015.

Bibliography

• Aftanazy R., Dzieje rezydencji na dawnych kresach Rzeczypospolitej, vol. 6: Województwo bełskie, ziemia chełmska województwa ruskiego, Wrocław 1995, pp. 260-262.
• Katalog Zabytków Sztuki w Polsce, Vol. VIII: Województwo lubelskie, issue 6: Powiat hrubieszowski, Warsaw 1964, pp. 66-67.
• Niedźwiedż E., Niedźwiedź J., Siudak J., Dzieje miejscowości gminy Werbkowice, powiat hrubieszowski, Werbkowice-Zamość 2009, p. 104 et seq.