Wielopolski Palace in Pińczów

At the foot of Castle Hill, north of the Pińczów market square, stands the Baroque-classicist Wielopolski Palace — the core of the castle-and-palace complex on the Nida. It was raised in 1773–1799 for Franciszek Wielopolski, the tenth ordinal of the Pińczów Ordination; the design is attributed to the architect Jan Ferdynand Nax.

A castle that gave way to a palace

The palace replaced the 15th-century castle of the Oleśnicki family, rebuilt in the 16th century. Jan Długosz wrote that it was the „most splendid private castle in the Polish Kingdom". When it no longer met the comfort requirements of the Wielopolskis, it was pulled down and the new palace stood in its place.

Facade and interiors

The front facade, divided by a corded cornice, is decorated with two stucco reliefs showing mythological scenes. Above the avant-corps rises a triangular pediment with the founder's cartouche bearing the Starykoń coat of arms. The windows are adorned with stucco keystones and flower garlands; the interiors were rebuilt in the 19th century, and a classicist polychromy survives in today's library. In the southern part of the park stands the Garden Bastion — a late-Renaissance pavilion from the end of the 16th century designed by Santi Gucci, today a secondary school.

In practice

The palace is at Piłsudskiego Street, a few minutes from the market square. Nearby are the former synagogue and the church of St John — the whole can be walked in one town loop, adding a viewpoint at the top of Castle Hill.