Kamieniec Ząbkowicki Palace

The Kamieniec Ząbkowicki Palace is a monumental neo-Gothic residence built in the second half of the 19th century on Grodowe Wzgórze. It is entered in the register of historic monuments, and together with the surrounding park it forms an architectural and landscape complex recognised as a Monument of History in 2024.

The founder and the building work

The palace was built on the initiative of Princess Marianne of the Netherlands, who became the owner of the Kamieniec estate in 1838. In the same year, on 15 October, the foundation stone was laid on Grodowe Wzgórze. Construction lasted more than thirty years, from 1838 to 1872.

Designers

The main designer of the palace was Karl Friedrich Schinkel, one of the leading architects of his era. Because of his poor health, work on site was supervised by the younger architect Ferdinand Martius. The garden layout around the residence was designed in 1858 by Peter Joseph Lenné, the general director of the Prussian royal gardens.

Style and shape of the building

The palace represents neo-Gothic with elements of eclecticism. The building stands on a rectangular plan measuring 75.3 by 48.3 metres, with four corner towers 33.6 metres high. Inside there are two courtyards, separated by an arcaded cloister. The main facade is crowned with a gable bearing the heraldic cartouche of Prince Albrecht of Hohenzollern and Princess of Orange, who ruled the palace after Marianne.

Destruction and reconstruction

During the Second World War the Germans set up a transit storehouse in the palace for works of art brought from Silesia. In February 1946 the building burned down, set on fire by Soviet soldiers. The ceilings of the top floors, the roofing of the towers and roofs, and part of the vaults and interiors were destroyed. Some of the surviving marble was used to build the Congress Hall in Warsaw's Palace of Culture and Science.

After years of partial and intermittent reconstruction, the municipality of Kamieniec Ząbkowicki took over management of the palace in 2012 and began systematic renovations: in 2013 the vaults of the ballroom were rebuilt, in 2014 the viewing terrace was renovated, and in 2018 the restored Hohenzollern mausoleum was opened.

The palace park

The palace is surrounded by a park of more than a square kilometre, with more than a hundred natural monuments. Among the trees growing there is an ancient oak with a girth of 525 centimetres.

Practical information

• Address: Zamkowa Street, Kamieniec Ząbkowicki, according to the palace's official website.
• Getting there: Kamieniec Ząbkowicki lies in Ząbkowice County in Lower Silesia; it is worth planning the exact route in advance.
• What to expect: guided tours of the palace interiors and a walk around the park; check opening hours and visiting rules on the official website before your visit.