Manor House in Skotniki

The manor house in Skotniki, in the Samborzec district south-west of Sandomierz, is a rare example of a fortified noble residence of the "alkierz" type: a single-storey main block with four corner pavilions, a tall broken roof covered with wooden shingles, and the remains of a moat. It stands in an overgrown park opposite a 14th-century church founded by an Archbishop of Gniezno who was born here. The manor is privately owned and can only be seen from outside, but it makes a good stop on the Green Velo cycle route.

History: seat of the Bogoria-Skotnicki family

Skotniki and neighbouring Bogoria belonged to the Bogoria-Skotnicki family from at least the 14th century until 1945. Skotniki was the birthplace of Jarosław Bogoria Skotnicki, later Archbishop of Gniezno and trusted adviser to King Casimir the Great, who began building the local church in the 1340s. His great-grandfather was Count Mikołaj Bogoria, founder of the nearby Cistercian abbey at Koprzywnica in 1185. The family also produced General Stanisław Grzmot-Skotnicki, a soldier of Piłsudski's First Cadre Company, who fell at the Battle of the Bzura in 1939.

According to the National Heritage Board, the brick manor may date back to the 17th century, while the present building is from the 18th century. After the war the estate was taken over by the state. The manor burned in 1945 and again in 1968, and in later years housed an old people's home, a health centre and a nursery school. In 1997 it returned to the family when Maksymilian Skotnicki, son of the last owner, recovered it.

What to see

• The alkierz layout – a single-storey rectangular block with four corner pavilions under pyramid roofs and a two-storey central projection with a triangular gable at the front.
• The tall Polish broken roof covered with shingles, typical of old manor houses in Lesser Poland.
• The garden front with a terrace and steps between the corner pavilions and buttresses at the corners.
• The landscape park with old trees and the remains of the moat and ponds.

Did you know?

In the south-western corner pavilion, fragments of a classicising sgraffito frieze with dancing nymphs survive – a detail visitors cannot see, as the property is private. Local tradition, quoted in accounts of the village, says that Casimir the Great stayed at the Skotniki manor and waited a very long time for his dinner. Opposite the manor stands the Gothic Church of St John the Baptist from the mid-14th century.

Tripto tips

The manor is privately owned and, according to the National Heritage Board, can be viewed year-round from outside only. There are no opening hours or tickets, and you may not enter the grounds without the owners' permission. 15–20 minutes is enough for a stop; it is best to park near the church. Combine the visit with the Cistercian abbey at Koprzywnica and the Old Town of Sandomierz.