Palaces

Patrykozy Palace

Between Sokołów Podlaski and Siedlce, amid the fields of southern Podlasie, stands one of the region's most interesting residences: the neo-Gothic palace in Patrykozy. Its story begins with the November Uprising — the founder was General Teodor Karol Szydłowski, a commander of Polish forces who withdrew from politics after the uprising collapsed and settled in the countryside. In 1673 the village had still belonged to the Warsaw starost Jan Dobrogost Krasiński, but it was the 19th century that changed the estate's fate.

General Szydłowski's neo-Gothic dream

The palace was built between 1823 and 1843 to a design by Franciszek Jaszczołd. It took the fashionable form of English neo-Gothic, with the Lubicz coat of arms set in the rectangular gable beside an octagonal tower. The general surrounded the residence with a large English landscape park containing islands linked by footbridges. After the founder's death the estate declined quickly: it changed hands, was plundered and left abandoned, until a state-funded reconstruction completed in 1989 saved the walls. In the 1990s the building was bought by the Gessler family, although later works led to the partial collapse of one section. Only the next owners, the Zając family, carried out a professional renovation that restored the palace to its former appearance.

Visiting

The palace remains private property and access is limited: it is best admired from outside, on foot from the village or by car along a detour of about 2 km. Nearby sights include Siedlce with the Ogiński palace (around 17 km) and the castle in Liw, so Patrykozy fits easily into a trip through eastern Mazovia.