History

The palace is located in place of a castle erected in the late 13^th century. It was most probably a quadrangular structure with a large courtyard, circumscribed by a moat. In the late 15th century the castle was damaged in a fire and later rebuilt by the Duke of Sachsen, Georg. Another owner - Seyfried von Promnitz - renovated the seat in 1584, expanding it by east and south wings. The transformation of the castle into the palace took place in the days of Duke Albrecht Wallenstein, commander of the imperial troops in the Thirty Years’ War, who bought the Duchy of Żagań in 1627. The design was prepared by an Italian architect Vinzenzo Boccaccio. At that time, the palace had a form of a Renaissance defensive residence - a four-wing complex enclosed with a moat and featuring roundels at the corners. A tragic death of Wallenstein interrupted the construction until 1670, when Wacław Lobkowic, the next owner, undertaken works by design of an Italian architect Antonio della Porta. The construction was completed by his successor - Ferdinand Lobkowic in 1693. In 1786 the Duke of Courland, Peter Biron, became an owner of Żagań. In the years 1792-1796 he redesigned the interiors and the décor of the structure within the framework of the Classicist style. The design of stuccos was prepared by an architect Christian Valentin Schultze. At that time, the palace in Żagań became a significant culture centre, hosting a valuable collection of art, handicraft and a library. In 1842 the estate was inherited by Biron’s daughter - Duchess Dorothea de Talleyrand-Périgord, who introduced further modifications to the residence architecture. In the years 1845-1855 the screen-type, south wing was demolished and a representational porte-cochère and an orangery were built in its place. Additionally, the layout and décor of the interiors were modified, the park was extended and received a Romantic character, in line with the instructions of an architect Friedrich Teichert. The Duchess Dorothea expanded the collection of works of art and guests visiting her residence included the king of Prussia, Friedrich Wilhelm IV, Alexander von Humboldt and Ferenc Liszt. After the death of the Duchess the palace remained in the hands of the family. In 1935 the last owner, Duke Bosan II, abandoned the palace for political reasons. Towards the end of World War II the remaining valuable objects were taken away by the Germans, while the rest of them were seized by Russian troops. In 1965 the abandoned building was secured and in the years 1972-1983 renovation and adaptation works were carried out. The building has been a seat of the Palace of Culture of Żagań ever since.

Description

The palace is located on the south-eastern outskirts of the town, surrounded with a vast landscape park stretching on both sides of the Bóbr river and its branch - Młynówka. The palace, with a preserved Baroque form, is a masonry building, set on a horseshoe floor plan, with a rectangular courtyard opening towards a park and enclosed with a deep, dried moat on the north and west sides. The building has two storeys, a tall basement section and is covered with gable and three-sloped roofs with wall dormers. Façade design with lavish architectural details were arranged homogenously. They are accentuated with regularly positioned windows and rusticated lesenes adorned with gargoyles in the entablature section. Forms of gargoyles are also found in keystones of rusticated window surrounds - each of them has an individual attribute. Façades on the side of the courtyard are partitioned by blind arcades and decorated with gargoyles in keystones of archivolts. The main entrances are accentuated with stone portals in the form of double pilasters supporting the entablature and are crowned with a balcony. The interior layout is of a half-bay type, with corridors on the side of the courtyard. Basements and certain rooms on the ground floor are covered with barrel and groin vaults; four rooms on the first floor exhibit Classicist stuccowork. 

Heritage site accessible to the general public. It can be visited upon prior telephone arrangement.

Author of the note Marta Kłaczkowska, Regional Branch of the National Institute of Cultural Heritage in Zielona Góra. 11-12-2017

Bibliography

• Adamek-Pujszo K., Działalność kulturotwórcza książąt żagańskich Bironów (1786-1862), część 1, Zielona Góra 2007;
• Garbacz K., Przewodnik po zabytkach województwa lubuskiego, vol. 2, Zielona Góra 2012, pp. 112-113;
• Kowalski S., Zabytki architektury województwa lubuskiego, Zielona Góra 2010, pp. 444-445;
• Zamki, dwory i pałace województwa lubuskiego, Bielinis-Kopeć B. (ed.), Zielona Góra 2007, pp. 445-447.