Kamieniec Palace

When the last tenants moved out of Kamieniec Palace in 2004, the building was being vandalised and stripped. Today this 18th-century Baroque residence in the Kłodzko Valley, near the spa town of Polanica-Zdrój, is a hotel with a restaurant, and its restored garden is part of the European Route of Historic Gardens. Its story shows how a ruin can regain its former character within little more than a decade.

History

Construction began in 1780 on the initiative of Count von Hartig, who had owned the village since 1747; the date is confirmed by the foundation stone under one of the corners. In the 19th century the estate passed to the von Mutius family, then to pastor Karl Eduard Grandke and the Counts von Ohlen und Adlerskron. Its heyday came under the von Seherr-Thoss family: around 1883 Artur von Seherr-Thoss added an eclectic north wing with a sandstone portal and coat-of-arms cartouche, plus an oriel tower with a domed cap. The formal Baroque garden was turned into a landscape park, and of three garden pavilions only the central one was kept and converted into a tea house.

Decline and revival

After the war the palace and farm buildings were divided into flats, and a fertiliser store was set up in the outbuildings. In 2009 the current owners bought the estate and began restoration, preceded by detailed specialist studies. An open day after several years of work was held on 13 June 2015, and in 2016–2020 the former stable and barn were converted into a hotel and restaurant. The garden was recreated to a design by Łukasz Przybylak based on archive photographs and the former owners' diaries; in 2020 it joined the European Route of Historic Gardens, certified by the Council of Europe.

What to look for

• The original larch staircase was recreated in oak: more than 40 steps, with balusters and handrails, weighing four tonnes in total.
• The Library displays historic maps of the County of Glatz donated by a Baron von Seherr-Thoss, a descendant of the former owners. Next to them hangs a framed letter from 1883 that fluttered out from above a door lintel during the renovation.
• The interiors are furnished in Gustavian style, and the state rooms on the first floor form an enfilade.
• A greenhouse hides in the ruins of the old Gardener's House, and the kitchen garden supplies herbs, fruit and vegetables to the palace kitchen.

Tripto tip

The palace (Kamieniec 47, 57-300 Kłodzko) is above all a hotel with 17 rooms and a restaurant that blends regional traditions with recipes from French palace cooking. If you would like to see the interiors and garden without staying overnight, ask reception in advance about current visiting options. The garden looks out over the mountains and the Kłodzko Valley. Nearby are Kłodzko Fortress, the spa park in Polanica-Zdrój and Szczeliniec Wielki in the Table Mountains.