Izbicko Palace

Izbicko Palace (German: Stubendorf) burned at least three times, and after each fire it came back in a different style. The residence, which dates back to the 16th century, survived a Neoclassical rebuild, looting during the Third Silesian Uprising and a failed renovation in communist times. Today it is a restored private property set in an 11-hectare park, where the Visegrád Group of Central European countries met in May 2011.

Three fires, three looks

The palace's origins go back to the 16th century, and the oldest sketches showing it date from the mid-18th century. The first known fire broke out in 1748, when the estate belonged to the von Larisch family. The second, in 1812, killed three people, after which the building was rebuilt in Neoclassical style. In 1921, during the Third Silesian Uprising – the armed revolt over whether Upper Silesia would belong to Poland or Germany – the palace was burned and looted, and the next rebuild gave it a Norman-style look. The oldest documented photograph of the residence dates from 1900.

From farm school to hotel

From 1952 to 1984 the palace housed a state agricultural school (in the 1950s an agricultural technical college). A renovation begun in 1984 had the opposite effect to the one intended – the building lost its historic furnishings. In 2003 Hubert Palm bought it from the county authority in Strzelce Opolskie and restored its former appearance, setting up a hotel and business centre, with a sports pitch and tennis courts by the park. The palace complex and park are listed on the regional register of monuments.

Tripto tip

The interiors are not open to sightseers – according to the regional tourist board only hotel guests go inside, and the property is used for events from time to time. Treat the palace as a short stop: the façade and the building's outline are easy to see from the park and the approach road, and a walk takes 20–30 minutes.