A baroque palace from the 1720s in the centre of Świdnica, a former residence of the Krzeszów abbots, today home to the city library.
Krzeszów Abbots' Palace stands on Franciszkańska Street in Świdnica, in the very centre of the city. The baroque building from the 1720s changed function over the centuries - from a residence for Cistercian abbots, through barracks and a tax office, to today's home of the city library.
The palace was built between 1723 and 1725 at the initiative of the Cistercian abbot Dominik Geyer, to a design by architect Felix Anton Hammerschmidt. The building stood on the former Köppenstraße, today's Franciszkańska Street, and was meant to serve the abbots of Krzeszów Abbey as a place to stay during visits to Świdnica and during regional assemblies.
After the First Silesian War, in 1741, the palace passed into the ownership of the Prussian crown under Frederick II the Great and became the seat of the commandant of the Świdnica fortress. General Heinrich August de la Motte Fouqué was fond of residing there. After the secularisation of monastic property, between 1810 and 1818, the building served as an arsenal, and then as a tax office.
The two-storey palace was built on a rectangular plan with an inner courtyard. The facades are decorated with baroque urns and volute details, and the sculptures on the facade were created by Georg Leonhard Weber. Inside, stucco ceiling decorations have been preserved. Between 2003 and 2005 the building underwent thorough renovation.
The palace now houses the C. K. Norwid Municipal Public Library in Świdnica, which has its own separate description in the portal. The historic interiors can therefore be seen today by visiting the library during its opening hours.
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