Day 14 – Piszkowice palace + other palaces in the area

We started south in the morning and the first stop was the huge Gorzanow Castle (Bo has also been following it for a few years). Gorzanów Castle (German: Schloß Grafenort) is a former stately residence with 16th-century German foundation. It has been in the hands of the von Herberstein family of Grafs or Counts (the Grafen von Herberstein) since the second half of the seventeenth century until 1930. From 1930 the palace complex was the property of the town of Habelschwerdt (renamed Bystrzyca Kłodzka after 1945), and as public property it lent itself easily to Nazi use. During the Second World War, while the region of Lower Silesia was German territory, Gorzanów Castle was the site of the notorious Grafenort concentration camp, a place of oppression of Jewish women deported here from Poland. In 1945 the region of Lower Silesia became part of Poland. The years that followed marked the period of continuing degradation of Grafenort Castle began already during the Nazi rule. Polish press reports and notices in tourist guidebooks spoke of a shocking state of disrepair of a property that was considered unfit to be visited by sightseers, its decline from lack of maintenance hastened by depredations of masonry robbers and other types of active vandalism. Anything that could be carried was stolen. After 57 years of neglect and continuous plunder, the ownership of the Castle was acquired in 1996 by an Austrian national who — despite promises of restoration of the Castle to its former glory — did nothing during the ensuing 14 years to rehabilitate the property or even just to stem the ongoing decay. In this way the period of decline was extended from 57 years to 71 years. Then, in October 2010, the Castle was purchased by yet another investor, said to belong to old Polish nobility, a development which again raised the hopes of the local population that the Castle might be rescued from irreversible collapse. In 2012, the castle was bought by Marek Haisig, a Wroclaw businessman and art lover, who founded the nonprofit Foundation Palace Gorzanow and together with his partner Alicja Siatka (art historian and specialist in EU funding) started reconstruction. So far, the Foundation did rehabilitation work valued at 28 mln zlotys ($ 7 mln), including new roof, windows, conservation of frescoes, sculptures, etc, but it’s a drop in the bucket.

When we arrived, we were struck by the size of the structure and the enormity of the work ahead. Together with a few other visitors, we took a tour led by a friend of Mark’s, an interesting individual, a self-proclaimed former alcoholic and musician who got a medical degree at the age of 56 to help others like himself. He recently returned from emigration and volunteers at the palace. It would take too long to describe all the stories he told us about the palace’s colorful history. He also showed us a few renovated rooms that are available for rent in the palace. It’s a relatively inexpensive and interesting accommodation option (https://pokojepalacgorzanow.pl ) The palace often hosts cultural, music and art events that are open to the public. Some recent articles in Wroclaw newspapers claim that the palace/foundation is in debt and the palace may have to be sold. 

After the palace tour, we were ready for lunch, but were told that the nearest eating places were in the town of Bystrzyca Klodzka – about 15 min drive. Phil wanted stuffed cabbage (golabki), but we were told by the locals that the best restaurant in town is a burger place called Warsztat. The burgers exceeded our wildest expectations. Not only were they HUGE, but also very delicious. 

 

Then, on to the next palace – Sarny Castle (Schloss Scharfeneck) in Scinawka Gorna.

Built on a rocky perch in the valley of River Ścinawka (German Steine), between Owl and Table Mountains, the main building of the historic castle and outbuildings in Sarny (German Scharfeneck) was erected in 1590. For most of its documented history it belonged to the wealthy and influential family of the Counts of Götzen, many of whom ran the County of Glatz (Polish Kłodzko) in the name of the Habsburg and Hohenzollern monarchs. The Götzens made Scharfeneck bloom, expanding the residence, adding a summer palace and, in the 18th century, building the St. John Nepomucene Chapel with its exquisite gigantic paintings.

In 1945, and with the name Scharfeneck replaced with Sarny, the historic compound became property of the Polish state, which turned it into a collaborative farm. After communism ended in 1989 and such farms were disbanded, the castle fell into disrepair and by the 2010s had come to the brink of collapse.In late 2013 Poland sold Sarny Castle to a group of Warsaw-based lawyers who founded a charitable trust to take care of the property. In 2014, with financial help from the local government of Lower Silesia, the castle’s 17th-century granary was given a new roof. Also that year, work was done to prevent the main building from falling apart. A complex renovation of the gatehouse began as did planning work. Sarny Castle now houses a 16-room hotel, café and hosts many cultural events https://zameksarny.pl/en/guesthouse/

When we visited, we could just wander around the place on our own – no need to buy tickets, no guides, no restrictions. There were some art pieces exhibited in the main building, and they were also getting ready to host the literature festival Gory Literatury (Mountains of Literature) organized by the Polish Nobel laureate writer Olga Tokarczuk, who lives in nearby Ruda Slaska. 

The third palace we visited that day is the most mysterious. It’s actually not accessible to visitors because it’s in private hands and locked behind a guarded fence. However, Martin gave us a phone number of the caretaker and said that he can open it for us. We arranged to meet him in front of the palace gate at 4 :30 pm. Google maps took us on a weird ride from Scinawka to Bozkow – a tiny one-lane road among fields that were being harvested. First, we ended up at the gate of what looked like a small manor home. The owner was surprised to see us and told us that the palace was across some more fields. So we continued  -- until all of a sudden an enormous farm machine appeared to be driving on the same road in our direction. The road was barely wide enough for one car – with bushes and ditches on both sides,  no way to turn around or pass. The machine driver motioned to us that we should go back so Al had to drive in reverse for quite a while until the machine was able to enter a field and let us pass. 

Bozkow Palace (Schloss Eckersdorf) was considered one of the most beautiful castle complexes in the former Grafschaft Glatz in Silesia. Built in the 16th century in Renaissance style as the residence of the Counts of Magnis, it underwent multiple renovations and expansions over the centuries, resulting in a rich architectural ensemble that bears the imprint of major renovations in the 19th century. Despite various uses after World War II, large parts of the original and valuable interior furnishings have been preserved. Ownership of the estate remained with the von Magnis family until 1945. There were many famous guests who visited the palace in Bożków. There were, among others, John Quincy Adams, the later President of the United States, and the kings of Prussia Frederick William III Hohenzollern with his wife Luisa and Frederick William IV Hohenzollern. After 1945, the palace became the property of the state treasury. For many years it housed various agrotechnological schools. In 1973, the palace underwent a major renovation, and later, in 1979 restoration works were carried out in the rooms on the first floor. It eventually became an official monument in 1981. Nevertheless, at the end of the 20th century, the building fell into ruin.

In the following years, the palace was burglarized and most of the furnishings were stolen. The Cold War was over and foreign investors were welcomed to Poland. Now, the castle was handed over to a company from Sweden that promised to restore its former glory. However, since nothing happened for years, the site was sold to another investor in 2005. This time, it seemed to be different. The new Irish owner announced a marvelous transformation from a forgotten palace to a luxury hotel and convention center with its own golf course in the spacious park. But guess what, this was just another bitter disappointment. None of these visions were realized and the building, which was still in a good condition until then, was now deteriorating. The roof was damaged and water was soaking in. The Irish investor was bold enough to put up the residence for sale for tenfold the price he had paid earlier. Thieves were breaking in again and stole the valuable paintings and sculptures. Fungus started to spread, the stuccoed ceiling was falling apart, plaster was crumbling and due to moisture, the parquet floor was rotting away. The putrid smell was now everywhere. Chambers which were once splendid were now heaps of rubble. The monument was turned into a ruin. But there was new hope only ten years ago when a Polish company bought the castle. Also this time, a substantial renovation was promised. And also this time, nothing happened. 

In September 2021, the castle welcomed American celebrity David Hasselhoff, famed for his role in Baywatch. He filmed scenes there for the series ‘Ze Network‘, where he stars as the lead character. The interior of the palace is currently in a state of significant disrepair, even decay. The castle is on the market listed for 6.7 million Polish Zloty.

We toured it with the caretaker, his Australian shepherd dog, and a young Polish couple. The dog kept trying to herd all of us, and at times got very frustrated. It’s hard to describe the faded grandeur of this palace. It’s very sad that such beauty may soon be gone forever. My (Bo’s) pictures probably don’t do it justice, but there are many Urbex videos and pictures of Bozkow on the web.  It was an amazing experience to walk through this place.

After Bozkow, we decided to drive to one more place Bo’s been following, and even considered buying it when it was being sold by the Polish agricultural agency in 2020: Dwor Dzikowiec (Manor House) built in 1682-83 by Jesuits.  Then it was sold to a private family and served as their residence. Since 1945 until 2020 it was owned by the Polish Agricultural Agency and used for farming. In addition to the manor house, the complex also includes a granary. Ever since it was sold, Bo wanted to find out to whom and if any renovations have taken place. So we drove there to take a look. The village is picturesque, and the lot is big and pretty. The buildings didn’t seem to have undergone any renovation at all. We walked through the meadow to the main house. The door was unlocked so we entered and saw a heap of garbage in the hallway and interiors in state of complete decay. A dog started to bark upstairs so we got out and saw a man looking out of the window on the second floor. He was the squatter that was mentioned in the sale documents, probably an alcoholic judging from the number of bottles by the entrance. He told us that the property was bought by a woman from Warsaw who has not shown up yet and has not started any renovations so far, The sales document required that the owner starts renovations within 2 years. Another sad story of unfulfilled promises. Al said he was immensely grateful we didn't buy it. I had to agree -- with all its beauty and potential, we don't have enough lifetime and money to properly restore it.