Hunting Palace in Bibiela

In a forest between Zyglynek and Bibiela, a hamlet of Miasteczko Slaskie, hides a wooden hunting palace with striking, ornamented gables bearing yellow horns. It was built around 1890 by the Henckel von Donnersmarck family, owners of the surrounding forests, who came here for hunts — also to the nearby Kalety.

Gierkowka

In the 1970s the palace was taken over by the communist party and served First Secretary Edward Gierek — hence the popular name „Gierkowka". In his time it had a swimming pool, a garden and an orchard, none of which survive today. Earlier, at the end of the 19th century, a forester's lodge operated here, which for some time served single mothers, and the building belonged to a forest district.

Bibiela and the surroundings

The village was first mentioned in 1683 — the name supposedly comes from the miller Szymon Bibiela — and as a colony of ten farms it gained self-government in 1825, with its own village head. In the surrounding forests, in an area called Pasieki, deposits of iron ore and of zinc and lead ore were discovered before 1860; in 1889 two mines were opened, which operated until flooding in 1917. In the Upper Silesian plebiscite of 1921 98 inhabitants voted for Poland and 58 for Germany.

In practice

The palace is private property and its owner does not welcome visitors — it can only be admired from a distance, from the forest road. From the barrier blocking the track it is about 150 metres on foot. Bus line 87 from Tarnowskie Gory makes access easier; nearby are Lake Naklo-Chechlo (5.9 km) and the park in Swierklaniec (7 km).