Łomnica Palace

A square, three-storey palace with two corner turrets stands where the roads to Karpniki and Wojanów split, about 5 km from Jelenia Góra. In the early 1990s it was a ruin; today it is one of the liveliest estates in the Valley of Palaces and Gardens of the Jelenia Góra Basin, with an interiors museum, a hotel in the "Widow's House" and a farmyard full of shops and workshops. The restoration was led by descendants of the family who lived here until 1945.

History: from the Zedlitz to the Küster family

From 1475 to 1654 the Łomnica estate belonged to the von Zedlitz family, then to the Tomagnini family. The early Baroque manor with its main block and corner turrets dates from the second half of the 17th century and was remodelled in the 1720s — the design is attributed to Martin Frantz, builder of the Church of Grace in Jelenia Góra. The most colourful owner was the Jelenia Góra linen merchant Christian Mentzel, a patron of the town who helped fund that church. His family kept Łomnica until 1811 and built the Neoclassical "Widow's House" (1803–1804) next to the palace for an older family member.

In 1835 the estate was bought by Carl Gustav von Küster. Between 1838 and 1844 the architect Albert Tollberg, a pupil of Schinkel, rebuilt the palace: he added a storey, enlarged the windows and created a grand staircase. Of the Baroque look, mainly the façade with its central portal and balcony survived.

Ruin and return

After 1945 the palace was taken over by the Polish state; a school used it until the late 1970s, after which it stood empty and decayed. In the early 1990s Ulrich von Küster, grandson of the last owner, set up a company with a Polish partner and bought the ruin. In 1995 he added the Widow's House with about 10 ha of park and meadows, and by 1996 a hotel and restaurant were open. He runs the estate today with his wife Elisabeth von Küster.

What to see

• Interiors museum in the main palace — an exhibition on three centuries of life at Łomnica: a Biedermeier tea room, the linen merchant's study, the historic kitchen in the vaulted cellar and a classroom from the communist era. Wall paintings from the 18th and 19th centuries have been uncovered in the ground-floor rooms.
• House of Prayer — a reconstruction of the half-timbered Protestant prayer house from Rząśnik, opened in the park in 2020.
• Farmyard — shops selling linen and regional products, the "Stara Stajnia" (Old Stable) restaurant and a cookery workshop.
• Park — with a memorial to the writer Stefan Andres, whose wife came from Łomnica; he wrote his novella about El Greco here.

Tripto tip

Allow an hour for the farmyard and park, or 2–3 hours with the museum. The estate is at its busiest during farmyard events such as the Flax Festival in July and the harvest festival in October — dates are published by the palace. Check museum opening times with reception (ul. Karpnicka 3) before you go. Łomnica pairs well with the nearby palaces in Wojanów and Karpniki.