Sztynort Palace

On a neck of land between lakes Dargin and Mamry stands the palace that for more than four centuries was the family seat of the Lehndorffs. Its last owner, Heinrich von Lehndorff, was one of the conspirators of the 20 July 1944 plot against Hitler and paid for it with his life. Today the ruined residence is slowly being rescued and can be seen from outside and in the parts open to visitors.

History: an estate on Lake Mamry

The Lehndorffs were granted land here at the beginning of the 16th century. In the 17th century Meinhard von Lehndorff laid out the park and the oak avenue, and the present palace was built at the end of that century on the initiative of Eleonore, third wife of Ahasverus von Lehndorff. The building was later altered many times – the ensemble also includes outbuildings, a chapel, a tea pavilion from 1818 and farm buildings.

In 1941 part of the palace became the field headquarters of Reich Foreign Minister Joachim von Ribbentrop, while Heinrich von Lehndorff lived with his family in the other wing. The Wolf's Lair, Hitler's headquarters, lay about 25 km to the south-west. After the failed assassination attempt Lehndorff was arrested and executed. After 1945 the palace was used by a state farm, then passed through private hands and decayed.

Saving the palace

In 2009 the palace was bought by the Polish-German Foundation for the Protection of Cultural Monuments. By 2013 the structure and roof had been secured, and about 1,500 m² of painted ceiling boards from the Baroque ceilings had been removed and conserved. In 2019 conservators found a 17th-century painting with the coats of arms of the Lehndorff and Dönhoff families on boards from the underside of a staircase. That same year an information point on the family's history and the ongoing works opened in the east wing, and in 2025 the lakeside façade was restored.

What to see

• the palace façades and the park with traces of old sightlines,
• the information point in the east wing,
• the Lehndorff burial chapel designed by Friedrich August Stüler,
• the memorial stone to Heinrich von Lehndorff from 2009.

Tripto tip

45–90 minutes is enough for a walk around the palace and park. Conservation work is ongoing, so access to the interiors changes – follow the foundation's signs on site. Sztynort is also one of the best-known sailing harbours in Masuria, so it is worth combining your visit with a boat trip or a drive to Węgorzewo or the Mamerki bunkers.