Lubostroń Palace

Lubostroń Palace (roughly "loo-BOS-tron") is a Neoclassical country house built in 1795–1800 in the Pałuki region of central Poland and modeled on Palladio's famous Villa Rotonda near Vicenza. Set in a 40-hectare English-style landscape park, it is one of the finest Palladian buildings in Poland and since November 2023 has been an official Historic Monument (Pomnik Historii), a status reserved for the country's most important heritage sites. Come for the domed rotunda crowned by a bronze Atlas, the reliefs of Polish history inside and a walk through the old park.

Where it is and how to get there

The palace stands in the village of Lubostroń, part of the Łabiszyn municipality, about 30 km (40 minutes by car) south-west of Bydgoszcz and about 105 km (1.5 hours) north-east of Poznań. From Warsaw, plan on around 4 hours by car. A car is by far the easiest way to get there. Bydgoszcz and Poznań both have airports with European connections.

A short history

In 1762 General Franciszek Skórzewski bought the Łabiszyn estates, which passed to his son Fryderyk. Charmed by the meadows of the Noteć valley, Fryderyk built a new seat on the Piłatowo farm and called it Lubostroń, from the Polish for "a pleasant retreat". He hired Stanisław Zawadzki, a Rome-trained architect of the late Polish Enlightenment, who combined ideas from Palladio's centrally planned villas with the Królikarnia palace in Warsaw: a square block with a round, three-storey hall in the middle under a dome.

The column bases and capitals had originally been intended for the Temple of Divine Providence in Warsaw, a church that was not built at the time. The frieze of the portico reads "SIBI AMICITIAE ET POSTERIS MDCCC" ("For myself, for friendship and for posterity, 1800").

In the 19th century the house was a center of Polish patriotic and cultural life while the region was under Prussian rule. The Skórzewski family lived here until World War II, when the furniture, paintings and library were lost. After 1945 the estate was run by a state farm and the palace served as a workers' holiday center. Restored after the farm was dissolved, it now operates as a public cultural institution with a hotel and restaurant.

What to see

• The rotunda – the three-storey heart of the palace. Stucco reliefs by Michał Ceptowski show Queen Jadwiga receiving Teutonic Knights envoys, the battles of Koronowo (1410) and Płowce (1331), and Frederick the Great studying plans for the canal locks in Bydgoszcz. The inlaid wooden floor shows the Polish Eagle and the Lithuanian Pogoń.
• Wall paintings by the brothers Franciszek and Antoni Smuglewicz, who also decorated Ujazdów Castle in Warsaw.
• The bronze Atlas on the dome, by Władysław Marcinkowski, late 19th century.
• The east portico with eight Ionic columns.

The park

The landscape park was laid out by a garden designer named Teichert. Storms in August 2017 brought down about 200 trees, including four monumental limes, but the park remains a lovely place to walk, especially in spring and fall.

Concerts

The rotunda has superb acoustics. The first concert took place on 8 May 1963, organized with the Pomeranian Philharmonic in Bydgoszcz, and concerts, exhibitions and outdoor events continue today.

Tickets and opening hours (as of October 2026)

• Guided tours start on the hour; the last tour begins one hour before closing. No fixed opening hours are published.
• In fall and winter, visits are by advance reservation only: phone +48 695 929 786 or email kultura@palac-lubostron.pl. The palace can be closed to visitors during events, so always check before you travel.
• Prices in Polish zloty (PLN): adult 15 PLN, reduced 10 PLN, family ticket (2 adults + up to 3 children) 45 PLN; with audio guide and map 20/15 PLN. A guide in a foreign language costs 200 PLN per group.
• Palace concerts: 45 PLN (reduced 35 PLN).
• Allow 1 to 1.5 hours for the palace and park.

Is it worth visiting?

Yes, if you enjoy architecture: few places in Central Europe show Palladio's influence so clearly, and the rotunda is genuinely impressive. Combine it with Żnin's Gothic tower, the narrow-gauge railway and Biskupin's reconstructed Iron Age settlement for a full weekend in the region.