Palace in Pawłowice

Pawłowice Palace (roughly "pav-woh-VEE-tseh"), near the town of Leszno in western Poland, is one of the finest Neoclassical country houses in the Greater Poland region. It was designed by Carl Gotthard Langhans, the architect of Berlin's Brandenburg Gate, and its sweeping courtyard framed by curved galleries is a striking sight. It is not a museum, though: the palace belongs to an agricultural research station and doubles as a hotel, so it rewards a little planning.

Where it is and how to get there

The palace stands in the village of Pawłowice, about 15 km (9 miles) east of Leszno, roughly halfway between Poznań and Wrocław. Both cities have international airports, and the drive from either takes about 1.5 hours (around 95–100 km). Leszno is the nearest major railway hub; from there a car or taxi is the practical option.

A short history

The house was built in the late 18th century for Maksymilian Mielżyński, a senior official of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. Sources disagree on the exact dates: the national heritage register gives 1780–1787 for the main construction, with interiors finished in the 1790s, while the current operator cites 1779–1783. Langhans designed the building, and Johann Christian Kamsetzer, court architect to Poland's last king, Stanisław August Poniatowski, designed the interiors.

The Mielżyński family owned the estate until World War II. In 1929 its library held about 10,000 volumes, and the palace was filled with furniture, paintings, porcelain and silver. During the German occupation the collections were dispersed and partly taken to Germany, but the building itself survived largely intact. Since 1945 it has belonged to Poland's National Research Institute of Animal Production.

What to see

• The cour d'honneur, best seen from the drive: quarter-circle arcaded galleries link the palace to two side wings.
• The rooftop statue of Atlas (1908), which replaced an earlier Hercules.
• The Column Hall on the upper floor, with 24 Corinthian columns – now used for conferences.
• Surviving 18th-century salons, including the Silk, Chinese, Green, Round and Blue rooms.
• A formal park with old trees and ponds behind the palace.

Visiting and staying overnight (as of October 2026)

There are no regular museum hours or tickets. According to the national heritage register, the palace is open to visitors outside the station's working hours (weekday afternoons and weekends), and the park is publicly accessible. If you want to see the interiors, call ahead (+48 65 529 91 92) or email sekretariat@zdpawlowice.pl; English may be limited, so a short written message works best. The surest way to step inside is to stay the night: the palace and its wings offer 58 beds, with free, monitored parking for guests.

Allow about an hour for the courtyard and park. This is a working research farm, so stick to the paths around the formal part of the estate.

Is it worth visiting?

Yes, if you love architecture or are touring between Poznań and Wrocław: few Polish palaces show Langhans's work so completely. Combine it with Leszno's Baroque market square and the castle in nearby Rydzyna for a satisfying day.