Kotuliński Palace in Czechowice-Dziedzice

On Zamkowa Street in Czechowice-Dziedzice stands a Baroque palace with Rococo stucco work, built by the Kotuliński family and later embellished by the Counts Renard. It is one of the most carefully restored residences of the former Duchy of Cieszyn. The coat of arms held by two lions in the pediment and the park with candelabra-shaped limes alone justify a stop.

History: from the Kotulińskis to the Zipsers

Czechowice was bought in 1675 by Friedrich Alexander, Baron Kotuliński of Kotulin. His son Franz Karl Kotuliński became Chancellor of Lower and Upper Silesia and governor of the Duchy of Głogów, and around 1730 he decided to build a residence befitting these offices. According to the Silesian regional tourism portal, some years earlier he had also donated building materials for the brick parish church of St Catherine.

In 1765 the palace and estate were bought by Count Andreas Renard for 62,000 Rhenish guilders. The Renards stayed until 1856: they laid out a flower garden and an orchard, built a gardener's house, and Andreas Renard is credited with the lime avenue linking the palace with the church as well as a pheasantry. The estate then passed through the hands of Baron Bernhard Heldreich, Joseph Heiser and a bank from Sopron in Hungary before ending up with the Zipser family, factory owners from Bielsko. In the early 20th century a three-sided glazed veranda with a winter garden was added on the park side.

After 1945: school, decline and revival

In 1945 the palace was nationalised and turned into an agricultural school, and on 24 February 1960 it was entered in the register of historic monuments. In the early 1990s it passed to the town and housed a vocational training centre. In 2001 the company Pascal Polska bought it, but the planned luxury hotel never materialised. The turning point came in October 2006, when the company Polplast took over: the residence was thoroughly restored, the park renewed and a four-star hotel opened. After Polplast was declared bankrupt in 2017, the palace went to auction and, at the second attempt and without its historic furnishings, was bought by a private businessman.

What to see

• The main façade with its three-bay projection and triangular pediment bearing the Renard coat of arms held by two lions.
• The mansard roof with dormer windows, typical of Baroque residences in the region.
• The garden front with the glazed veranda of the former winter garden.
• The park with roughly 200-year-old candelabra limes and paths leading from the palace into the greenery.

Tripto tips

Allow 30–45 minutes for a walk around the palace and through the park. The best views are of the front with the coat of arms from the driveway and of the veranda from the park. Check the building's current use and access to the interiors before you go, as these may have changed with the new owner. The visit combines easily with St Catherine's Church, once linked to the palace by the Renards' lime avenue.