Radziejowice Palace

Radziejowice played host to Kings Sigismund III Vasa and Władysław IV, and in the 19th century to the novelist Henryk Sienkiewicz and the painter Józef Chełmoński. The Krasiński family's neoclassical palace, a neo-Gothic "little castle" and a 26-hectare park around two ponds form one of the finest country-house ensembles in the Mazovia region. Since 1965 it has been home to the House of Creative Work, a state cultural institution that stages more than sixty concerts, plays and exhibitions a year.

History: the Radziejowskis, the Krasińskis and the artists

The Radziejowski family's first seat was a 15th-century residential tower, enlarged in 1512 by Mikołaj Radziejowski, governor of Płock. In the early 17th century Stanisław Radziejowski built an early baroque palace with an arcaded gallery beside it. Sigismund III Vasa visited, and from 22 to 25 November 1632 Władysław IV stayed here with his queen and court. Later guests included King John III Sobieski.

The present palace took its neoclassical form around 1800, when the estate belonged to the Krasiński family. It was designed by Jakub Kubicki, architect to King Stanisław August, who also added the columned porch with a terrace. In 1802 Kubicki rebuilt the ruins of the old tower as a neo-Gothic "Zameczek" (little castle). After the Second World War the palace was taken over by the state, and after renovation in 1956–1964 it became a retreat for artists, including the writer Jarosław Iwaszkiewicz and the music critic Jerzy Waldorff.

What to see

• The palace with its columned porch and rooms that house a gallery of paintings by Józef Chełmoński.
• The Zameczek, with Renaissance stonework and the coats of arms of former owners set into its walls.
• The landscape park, laid out from 1817 to a design by Colonel Alexandre d'Alphonce de Saint Omer, with the Great and Small Ponds.
• Protected natural monuments: a lime avenue, an ash avenue and a ginkgo tree.
• An open-air sculpture gallery and the early 19th-century Larch Manor, once the estate manager's house.

Did you know?

The palace and park have appeared in many films, including Ryszard Ordyński's 1928 adaptation of "Pan Tadeusz". Visitors included the painters Juliusz Kossak and Stanisław Masłowski, who painted the nearby ponds and pastures, and the playwright Lucjan Rydel. Every summer the palace hosts the Jerzy Waldorff Summer Festival.

Tripto tip

The Chełmoński gallery and palace interiors are open to individual visitors on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays, 10:00–17:00, with entry on the hour; groups are guided Tuesday to Friday by prior arrangement. A standard ticket costs PLN 20, reduced PLN 15. The park is open from dawn to dusk. Photo shoots in the grounds need permission from reception and are charged. Allow 1–2 hours and check the concert calendar: an evening of music in the palace hall is the best way to experience the place.