Gorzanów Palace

More than a hundred rooms, some 6,000 m² of floor space and sgraffito from 1560 scratched into wet plaster: Gorzanów near Bystrzyca Kłodzka is one of the largest and oldest residences in the Kłodzko Land. It has never burned down or been demolished, so its interiors are authentic, although after years of neglect it is still a building site. You tour it with the host, who has been saving the palace on his own since 2012.

History: from a knight's tower to the Herberstein seat

Gorzanów's oldest fortified building (German: Grafenort) probably stood between today's palace and the church and was pulled down around 1460; relics of a medieval tower were found in the cellars of the present residence. Work on the Renaissance manor began in the second half of the 16th century – sources give around 1573. The von Ratschin family lost the estate in 1623, during the Thirty Years' War, for supporting Protestantism. It passed to Baron Johann Arbogast von Anneberg, commander of Kłodzko Fortress, and in 1650 his sister Maria Maximiliana, wife of Count Johann Friedrich von Herberstein, bought it.

The Herbersteins gave the residence its Baroque shape. In 1653–1657 the building and its interiors were remodelled, with a new portal over the main entrance, terraces above the wings and a new tower cupola. In 1669 the count turned his Kłodzko estates into an entailed estate seated at Gorzanów. Between 1900 and 1906 conservation work modernised the services and renewed the sgraffito on the façades.

What to see

• Sala terrena on the ground floor – a stately hall with stucco and paintings that opened onto a terrace, with steps down to the garden.
• Sgraffito from 1560 – the originals survive inside, slightly crooked and done by hand; outside, the decoration was renewed in the 20th century. Gorzanów is considered the largest group of sgraffito decoration in Poland.
• St George's Chapel in the north wing – with a net vault, stucco and Baroque angels weighing up to 60 kg. Lighter copies now hang on the vault, while the restored originals stand along the walls.
• Painted ceilings and mirror plafonds in the first- and second-floor halls of the east wing, plus a corridor painted from end to end.
• Nymphaeum of 1635–1640 in the park – a garden pavilion dedicated to nymphs, a rarity in Poland, though in poor condition.

The palace theatre and Carl von Holtei

From 1816 to 1847 the palace had its own theatre, staging short plays and operas, and villagers were invited to performances. Carl von Holtei, the Silesian poet, actor and director, lived here at times, acting, directing and writing poems. The foundation continues the tradition with concerts, festivals, plays and workshops.

Decline and rescue

After the Second World War, people displaced from the Stanisławów area were housed here, and the palace was gradually vandalised and looted. In the 1990s the municipality sold it to an Austrian citizen, but the new owners did not secure it, and roofs and ceilings collapsed. In 2012 Marek Haisig's Gorzanów Palace Foundation took over, secured the roofs, uncovered the wall paintings and restored the chapel. In 2023 a bailiff put the palace up for auction over the foundation's debts, with a starting price of PLN 3.7 million, but the auction was halted.

Tripto tips

Allow about 1.5 hours for the guided tour and another half hour for the park and nymphaeum. The palace opens at selected times and parts of the interior are still under repair, so check current dates with the foundation before you go, and in winter bring warm clothes, as the big halls can be chilly. There is a café and guest rooms. Gorzanów combines well with Bystrzyca Kłodzka and Kłodzko Fortress (about 10 km).