Gębczyce Palace

Gębczyce Palace is a Renaissance manor house from the turn of the 16th and 17th centuries, standing in the village of Gębczyce in the Strzelin municipality, Strzelin County. Today it houses flats, and the building itself is viewed from the outside.

From the Cistercians to the von Czirn family

The first mention of Gębczyce dates back to 1316, when the village belonged to the Cistercians of Henryków. In the 16th century the estate passed to the von Czirn family, who most likely erected the manor house here. The building was still rebuilt in the 18th century, and then again around 1850 and towards the end of the 19th century.

Herms in the niches of the facade

Built of stone and brick and rendered, the manor house stands on a T-shaped plan and has two storeys, partly with a basement. Stone herms - a female and a male one - have survived on the facade, placed in shell-shaped niches, and the elevation was originally decorated with geometric sgraffito.

The park and present use

West of the manor house stretches a 19th-century park, where oaks, chestnuts and lime trees grow, among others. The palace itself is today a residential building, and its technical condition is not the best. It has been on the heritage register since 1966.

Nearby

Gębczyce lies a few kilometres from Strzelin, where a former synagogue has survived.

In the other direction, towards the Strzelin Hills, rises Gromnik with a viewpoint.

Practical information

• Address: Gębczyce 5b/5c, Strzelin municipality, Strzelin County
• The building is private and residential - it can only be viewed from the outside
• The park by the palace has no separate entrance for visitors, which is worth remembering on site