Chocianów Palace

Above the Baroque body of Chocianów Palace rises a massive square tower with a Rococo helm roof and lantern. It is the only part to survive from the Gothic castle of the dukes of Świdnica-Jawor, around which the Redern family built their 18th-century residence. Today the palace is privately owned and has been waiting decades for full restoration, but its silhouette still dominates this small town in Polkowice County.

History: from Bolko I's castle to the Baroque

Work on the Gothic castle began in the 13th century on the orders of Bolko I the Strict, Duke of Świdnica-Jawor. The castle became a seat of the dukes of Legnica, and in 1444 it was sold as a fief to the German Dornheim family. After that it changed hands often; its residents included the Nostitz, Stosch and Dohna families.

The turning point came in 1728–1732, when Melchior Gotlob Redern had the castle rebuilt as a Baroque residence. The design and works were entrusted to the architect Martin Frantz of Reval, today's Tallinn. A palace park was laid out and two side wings were built at the same time. From 1734 the estate belonged to the childless Carl Albrecht von Redern (d. 1766), whose heir was Wilhelm Christoph Gottlob zu Dohna-Schlodien.

What to see

The palace has two storeys above a tall ground floor, a rectangular plan and a hipped mansard roof with dormers. A strongly projecting two-storey central bay at the front is topped by a stone balustrade. The entrance portal has four Corinthian columns, set in pairs on each side and carrying a balcony; a cartouche with the Redern coat of arms once sat above it. The oldest element is the medieval tower with its Rococo helm roof and lantern, which stands out clearly against the Baroque building.

War, ruin and slow rescue

The castle was restored in the 19th century and again in 1937–1939. Near the end of the Second World War the palace partly burned and fell into growing ruin; in 1954 only emergency protection work was done. Since 1997 it has had a private owner. According to fotopolska.eu, the roof tiles and some windows have been replaced, the fountain in front of the main entrance restored and part of the cellars fitted out for events. The palace was entered in the heritage register in 1950 and 1956.

Tripto tip

The palace is private property, so view it from outside, from the park side. Fotopolska.eu reported that the cellars and tower could only be visited on open days, but that information is several years old – ask the town office about the current rules before you go. Half an hour is enough for the palace itself. It is worth adding a trip to the Neo-Gothic tower on Wzgórze Fryderyki (Frederica Hill, 165 m), in the forest about 5 km south-west of the palace; it was built in the 19th century in honour of Friederike von Reichenbach-Goschütz, mother of Wilhelm August zu Dohna-Schlodien.