Starawieś Palace

Below the clock on the corner tower of this white palace is the date AD MDCCCXLIII — 1843, a reminder of how the Radziwiłł family's fortified seat was turned into Prince Sergei Golitsyn's "English castle". Starawieś Palace near Węgrów, surrounded by a moat, ponds and a park of almost 30 hectares, is considered one of the finest examples of secular Gothic Revival architecture in Poland. Since 1966 it has belonged to the National Bank of Poland (NBP) and serves as a training centre, so it is a place for a short photo stop rather than a tour of the interiors.

History: from the Radziwiłłs to the national bank

The earliest record of the residence comes from an inventory of the Węgrów estate drawn up in 1619 for Janusz Radziwiłł, castellan of Vilnius. The palace was then a three-storey masonry building with a clock on its tower, and the whole seat — on the border between Podlasie and the Crown of Poland — was fortified: it was ringed by a palisade with towers and by a moat that survives to this day. In 1655–1661 Prince Bogusław Radziwiłł added two corner towers with bulbous cupolas at the front. An inventory of 1659 describes a triple system of fortifications, thanks to which the residence came through the Swedish wars unscathed.

The biggest change came in the 1840s, when Prince Sergei Golitsyn owned the estate: the corner annexes were demolished and a portico, tower and terrace added, and the façade was decorated with the coats of arms of the Golitsyn, Jezierski, Sapieha, Krasiński and other families linked with Starawieś. In 1859–1862 the architect Bolesław Podczaszyński modernised the interiors in the manner of English Elizabethan houses (some sources, including the Victorian Web, date the main Gothic Revival remodelling to 1866–1871). In 1912 the Radziwiłł arms were placed on the gate to mark the family's return to their former seat.

After the Second World War the furnishings were looted, and the palace served in turn as a school, a warehouse and a children's holiday camp. In 1966 the National Bank of Poland took over the complex, carried out works in 1972–1979 and a thorough restoration in 1999–2001.

What to look for

• The gate and gatehouse — four piers crowned with battlements and the Radziwiłł "Trąby" (three hunting horns) arms on the gateposts.
• The bridge over the moat leading to the circular drive.
• The octagonal three-storey corner tower with the date 1843 below the clock.
• The portico with Tudor arches and the coats of arms in cartouches on the central projection.
• The park with old spruces, elms, hornbeams and limes and a pond linked to the moat.

Interesting facts

The grandest room is the White Hall, a former ballroom whose ceiling imitates a Moorish stalactite vault. According to the 1619 inventory, portraits of Princes Janusz and Krzysztof Mikołaj Radziwiłł hung on the upper floor, and the dining hall took up half of the storey and had eight windows.

Tripto tip

The palace is a fenced training centre, and official sources give no rules for tourist access — expect to see it from outside, through the gate. If you want to enter the park, ask the centre in advance. Starawieś lies about 9 km north-west of Węgrów in the Liw municipality and is best reached by car or bike. Allow 15–20 minutes for photos from the gate.