History

The village of Wysoka was mentioned in written records for the first time in 1276, in the charter issued by Mestwin II, the erstwhile duke of Pomerania. In 1313, the grand master of the Teutonic Order, Karl von Trier, donated the villages of Wielki Mędromierz, Kiełpin, Karczewo, Radzimin and Wysoka to the brothers Piotr, Jasiek and Wawrzyniec Świeca. A mere year later, however, the village of Wysoka was sold to the Teutonic Order. In 1349, the village was the property of the knights Gelun and Jodulhen. In 1570, it was in possession of a man named Wysocki, while in 1653 its owner was an individual known as Żukowski. In 1716, the lord of the manor was Franciszek Lutomski. The entire manor was then acquired by the Janta-Połczyński family back in the 18th century. In 1865, the owner of the manor was Adam Janta-Połczyński (1839-1901), a great advocate of the interests of Polish merchants, craftsmen and farmers in the Gdańsk Pomerania region. In 1890, the total surface of the manor was 963 hectares in total. After his father’s death, Adam Leon Janta-Połczyński, a politician and activist of the nationalist movement in Pomerania, became the owner of the land. In 1929, he was also the owner of the Wielka Komorza village. One of the most important changes which he made was the redesign of the middle section of the mansion in 1932, with a colonnaded portico added to the northern side of the building.

In 1945, the State Property Agency took over the manor. From 1949 onwards, it has served as a State Agricultural Holding (PGR). In 1951, the manor was taken over by the State Treasury. From 1970 onwards, it remained under the management of the Białowieża State Agricultural Holding (the Wysoka Agricultural Production Plant). In 1971, the building was already in a poor technical condition, with parts of the crumbling façade plasterwork falling off; with broken windows and damaged roof above the chapel, the entire structure was quickly turning into ruin. In 1974, some makeshift works were performed to secure the historical chapel against further damage, while one year later plans for the restoration of the manor house were drawn up, although, in the end, they have never been implemented. The funeral of the writer Aleksander Janta-Połczyński, the legal owner of the manor who lived abroad for all this time, took place in 1975. Soon afterwards, his heir, Leon Janta-Połczyński, informed the authorities that the writer wished to donate his collection to the Polish State in the hope that the manor house would be restored and converted into a retreat for writers or researchers.

During the 1970s, the manor house continued to serve as a summer school as well as a residential and administrative building of the nearby farm maintained by the State Agricultural Holding. In 1977, the Ministry of Agriculture donated the manor house to the Community Housing Union in Bydgoszcz, the idea being that the building would be turned into a Training and Recreational Centre. The relevant decision to commence the alteration works was issued in 1978. The concept assumed that the mansion along with the surrounding park would be excluded from the area remaining under PGR administration. The contemplated redesign and modernisation did not call for any fundamental changes in the overall size or floor space of the ground floor level of the manor house. In 1978, the ground-floor level of the western wing housed the former ballroom, with the bedrooms and other residential facilities located on the first and the second floor as well as in the garret above the eastern and central wings. The façades of the manor house were in a dire condition, with some of the plasterwork and architectural detailing of the front façade of both the western wing and the middle section of the mansion having already crumbled. The overall technical condition of the edifice was considered to be very poor. In 1979, the modernisation works could finally begin. Various demolition works were performed inside the structure, followed by bricklaying works. In May 1980, the initial concept of adapting the manor house to serve as a Training and Recreational Centre was abandoned. In 1981, the Province Governor in Bydgoszcz issued a decision on the adaptation of the building as a State Welfare Facility for Adults. The works necessary to adapt the manor house to its new functions were conducted in the years 1981-83. In October 1983, the comprehensive renovation works were finally complete, with the facility officially opening its doors to the public. Inside, the manor house now features rooms for 2 or 3 occupants with en-suite bathrooms, a common room, living rooms, doctor’s surgeries and a physiotherapy facility. In 1996, the facility was named after Leon and Maria Janta-Połczyński. Today, the building remains the property of the Municipal and Commune Office in Tuchola.

Description

The manor house complex is located approximately 4.5 kilometres north of the road leading from Chojnice to Tuchola, alongside a route from Raciąż to Silno, with the village of Silno being located about 2 kilometres east of the complex. The manor house itself stands at the edge of a slope which falls away in the westward direction, towards the Wysockie lake, with a distance of about 30 metres separating the said lake and the house. The former manor farm complex consisted of three separate ensembles, i.e. the manor house with the park, the utility yard and the colony. The complex was designed on the north-south axis, with the manor house and the park in the middle. An alley lined with chestnut trees leads towards the manor house and the park from the east, i.e. from the direction of Raciąż, ending with an entrance gate dating back to ca. 1870. On the other side of the alley stands a Romanesque Revival chapel and mausoleum, surrounded by trees; this structure was erected at the same time as the middle section of the manor house, i.e. somewhere around the year 1870. The manor house is positioned on the east-west axis, with an extensive landscape park featuring an informal arrangement of trees and shrubs stretching to the west and the south of the building. A large, circular ornamental lawn with decorative shrubs is located in front of the manor house, on the northern side thereof.

The eastern wing was designed on an elongated rectangular floor plan, its interior following a two-bay layout. The middle section of the building, likewise designed on a rectangular floor plan, has an almost identical length to that of the eastern wing. On the southern side of the structure, the middle section and the eastern wing follow an identical outline. On the northern side however, the central section projects ahead of the side wing and features a quadrangular avant-corps on the middle axis, preceded by a semi-circular portico. This section of the palace follows a two-bay layout, with a central vestibule. The western wing follows a single-bay layout; designed on an elongated rectangular floor plan, it is positioned at a right angle vis-à-vis the central section. The middle section of the western wing is slightly taller than the rest of the structure and features an avant-corps on the western side, preceded by a rectangular portico with a broad flight of steps. The eastern wing is a single-storey structure with a tall gable roof punctuated by dormer windows on both the northern and the southern side. The middle section is likewise a single-storey structure, albeit taller than the eastern wing; just like the eastern wing, it also features a gable roof with dormer windows. The northern part of the middle section features an avant-corps in the middle, preceded by a semi-circular colonnaded portico. The first-floor level of the avant-corps is crowned with a triangular pediment. The western wing is a two-storey structure, with a three-storey middle section featuring a western avant-corps preceded by a colonnaded portico with a triangular pediment. The flat roofs of the western wing are concealed behind a solid roof parapet.

Façade design.

The eastern wing, originating from the late 18th/early 19th century, is a single-storey structure with a gable roof.

The northern (front) façade is follows a seven-axial, asymmetrical design and features a low socle at its base. The walls are pierced with a row of seven wide, rectangular windows framed with flat surrounds. Above the windows, beneath the eaves of the roof, runs a broad crowning cornice. The entrance to the basement is located at the north-western corner. Five dormers with square windows, covered with gable rooflets, provide illumination to the converted attic space.

The eastern façade follows a single-axial layout. The rectangular doorway positioned on the middle axis of the façade is preceded by a flight of steps and framed with a plain surround. A square window with an identical surround and a projecting sill can be seen right above the doorway. Three small garret windows pierce the gable wall of the structure.

The southern façade follows a nine-axial layout, with a low socle at its base. This façade features two rectangular doors and four windows in total. All of the openings are framed with flat surrounds. Above the windows, beneath the eaves of the roof, runs a broad crowning cornice. The roof surface is punctuated by six dormers.

The middle section of the manor house dating back to ca. 1870, is a single-storey structure with a gable roof.

Its northern façade follows a nine-axial layout. A two-storey, three-axial avant-corps projects from the middle of the façade, preceded by a semi-circular portico with six columns supporting the balcony above. The socle of the portico takes the form of a tall, rusticated wall topped with a profiled cornice. Each of the six fluted columns is positioned on a low, profiled base and features a fluted capital. The ground floor section of the avant-corps features an entrance portal flanked by a pair of windows, each positioned within a separate recess. All of the openings are topped with semicircular arches, framed semicircular surrounds and separated by faux pilasters. The spaces below the windows are occupied by profiled panels. The first-floor level of the avant-corps features a trio of rectangular openings - a central balcony door and a pair of windows, separated by pilasters supporting an entablature crowned with a triangular pediment. The pediment itself is framed with a pronounced, profiled cornice and incorporates the coat of arms of the Janta-Połczyński noble family in its centre. The walls flanking the avant-corps are similarly disposed, featuring simple rustication in the form of horizontal grooves in the plaster. On each side of the avant-corps there are rectangular windows positioned above a profiled cornice, framed with wide, profiled surrounds. The windows are further adorned with window headers supported by decorative corbels, positioned just below the elaborate string course. The string course itself is relatively broad and heavily profiled. Large dormers rise above the middle windows of the façade, topped with triangular pediments and covered with gable rooflets.

The southern façade is an asymmetrical design following an eight-axial layout, with a low socle and a row of rectangular windows; the doorway positioned on the second axis counting from the west is likewise rectangular in shape. All of the openings are framed with flat surrounds. The entire design is topped with a broad, profiled string course.

The roof surface is punctuated by five asymmetrically arranged dormers, their shapes being similar to those of the southern façade of the eastern wing. A basement entrance is located in the corner, between the western wing and the middle section of the manor house.

The western wing, dating back to the early 20th century, is a two-storey structure with a three-storey middle section with an avant-corps, covered with a mono-pitched roof.

The front (western) façade of the western wing features a five-axial layout, with a visibly taller central avant-corps preceded by a giant order portico. The portico rises atop a plinth and is preceded by a broad flight of steps flanked by low walls at their sides. The portico features four pairs of columns with Ionic capitals, supporting an entablature and a pediment surrounded by a profiled cornice. The pediment incorporates an elaborate arrangement of figural and foliate motifs surrounding a pair of escutcheons in bas-relief. The avant-corps front façade follows a three-axial layout and is divided by a broad, profiled cornice as well as vertical Ionic pilasters. The central entrance door is flanked by a pair of large windows, with all openings being topped with round arches.

On the first-floor level there are three large windows framed with broad, profiled surrounds and featuring profiled window sills. The entire façade is topped with a pronounced cornice supported by cubiform corbels. Above the portico rises a solid roof parapet divided by six rectangular posts surmounted by spheres; the spaces between the posts are occupied by profiled, decorative panels painted in a shade of rouge.

The horizontal articulation of the side sections of the western wing relies on the use of squat, rectangular posts accentuated with profiled surrounds as well as of profiled string courses and crowning cornice. Each of the side sections features a single, large rectangular window at the ground-floor level, with smaller windows positioned directly above. The window openings are adorned with profiled surrounds. The façade is topped with a roof parapet with corner posts surmounted by ornamental urns. The surfaces of the roof parapet between the posts are adorned with decorative panels.

The northern, southern and eastern façades of the side sections of the western wing feature similar horizontal and vertical divisions.

The southern façade follows a three-axial layout, with three windows on the second-floor level; the first window on the left has been bricked up. The remaining storeys feature a single window each.

The northern façade follows a single-axial layout, with a single window on each storey.

The eastern façade follows a single-axial layout, with a single window on each storey.

All windows feature profiled surrounds, with the exception of the second-floor windows in the southern and eastern façades. The façades are all topped with roof parapets, their design mirroring that of the roof parapets which grace the western façade of the wing.

The interiors have seen substantial alteration works after 1945, mostly as a result of adaptation works intended to transform the manor house into a social welfare home. The main entrance into the manor house is positioned on the northern side of the edifice, in the middle section. From a spacious hall, divided into two sections and featuring a semicircular arch, visitors may proceed into the eastern or western wing as well as deeper into the middle section of the mansion. The front suite of rooms incorporates the entrances into the canteen and a two-room apartment. The canteen remains one of the most representational of all interiors of the manor house today. Its interior is divided by an arcaded partition made up of semicircular arches supported by quadrangular pillars. Between the arches and the pillars rest carved wooden spheres on profiled bases. The ceiling features a decorative grid of profiled wooden beams supported by carved corbels. The staircase with a wooden balustrade leading into the first floor are positioned in the main hall, opposite the entrance. The corridors in the vicinity of the hallway feature a dropped, faux vaulted ceiling of the barrel type.

The early-20th century park has a total surface of 5 hectares, occupying the surface of a slope falling away towards the Wysockie lake in the west. The park is separated from the utility yard by a wall and consists of several terraces leading downwards towards the lake, alongside which lead two alleys - the lower alley and the upper alley. A circular driveway with an ornamental flower-bed is positioned north of the manor house, with the flower-bed being a period decorative feature which further accentuates the elegance of the building’s front façade. A similar driveway leads up to the western façade, where the English-style landscape park begins. Of the few dozen trees inside the park, most are deciduous species, mostly common maple, horse chestnut, warty birch, common ash and small-leaved linden. The largest concentration of trees can be found near the western wing of the manor house.

No visitor access to the building.

compiled by Mirella Korzus, Historical Monument and National Heritage Documentation and Popularisation Department of the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Cultural Centre in Bydgoszcz, 08-12-2014 - 19-12-2014.

Bibliography

• Record sheet, manor house, compiled by Chojnacka B., 1998, Archive of the Regional Office for the Protection of Historical Monuments in Bydgoszcz; Archive of the National Heritage Board of Poland in Warsaw.
• Zabytki architektury województwa bydgoskiego, Bydgoszcz 1974, p. 286.
• Katalog Zabytków Sztuki w Polsce, vol. XI: Województwo bydgoskie, issue 17, Tuchola i okolice, Warsaw 1979, pp. 30-31.
• Parucka K., Raczyńska-Mąkowska, Katalog zabytków województwa Bydgoskiego. Bydgoszcz 1997, p. 217.
• Zabytki architektury i budownictwa w Polsce. Województwo bydgoskie 5, part 2, Warsaw 1997, p. 458.