Ducal Palace in Żagań

By the Bobr river, in the extensive Zagan park, rises one of the most magnificent surviving Baroque buildings in Poland. The Ducal Palace on Szprotawska street stands on the site of a medieval Piast castle, and its construction is tied to one of the most violent biographies of the Thirty Years' War.

Wallenstein and the Lobkowiczs

The Renaissance residence was begun by Albrecht von Wallenstein, commander of the imperial armies; the design in the palazzo in fortezza type was prepared by the Italian architect Vincenco Boccacci. The works were cut short by Wallenstein's violent death, and from 1646 the construction was continued by Duke Vaclav Eusebius von Lobkovic — it was then that the palace took its present shape.

The Talleyrand era

The heyday came in the mid-19th century under Duchess Dorothée de Talleyrand-Périgord: one wing was demolished and replaced by driveways with an orangery, the park was considerably enlarged, and the interiors received period decoration. The palace hosted Alexander von Humboldt, Ferenc Liszt and King William I of Prussia.

Park and visits

In the Ducal Park await the gatekeeper's lodge, the orangery, the temple of contemplation, the mill house, a historic hospital and the little Holy Cross church; the marked trail „Kamienne Slady Przeszlosci" (Stone Traces of the Past) runs about 3 kilometres through the garden to the Bazanciarnia park. Guided tours take place all year round, except Mondays, at set times; tickets are sold at the Tourist Information Centre in the former bastion building. Bicycles can be rented on site, and the palace now serves the Zagan Palace of Culture, which organises cultural events.