Wojanów Palace

Wojanów Palace (say "voy-AH-noof") is a white neo-Gothic residence with corner turrets on the Bóbr River in the Jelenia Góra Valley, Lower Silesia, at the foot of the Karkonosze (Giant Mountains). It's part of the "Valley of Palaces and Gardens", a cluster of aristocratic and royal country houses protected together as a Polish Monument of History. Today the palace is a hotel, but its 16-hectare landscape park, reshaped in the 19th century to designs by Peter Joseph Lenné, makes it a worthwhile stop on any tour of the region.

Where it is and how to get there

The palace stands on the road from Jelenia Góra to Janowice Wielkie, a short drive from Jelenia Góra's center. Wrocław, the nearest big city and airport, is about two hours away by car; from the German border at Görlitz the drive is also manageable as a day trip. A car or bike is the easiest way to link the palaces of the valley.

A history in brief

The estate is first recorded in 1281, when it belonged to the knight Eberhard von Schildau, which explains its German name, Schildau. From the 14th century it was largely held by the von Zedlitz family, who built a Renaissance manor in 1603–1607. Swedish troops burned it in 1642, during the Thirty Years' War, and it was rebuilt in 1667. A merchant, Daniel von Buchs, remodeled it in Baroque style after buying it in 1754.

The look you see today dates largely from 1832–1833, when owner Karl Albrecht Ike gave the house its neo-Gothic form, attributed to an architect from the circle of Karl Friedrich Schinkel, and laid out the landscape park. In 1839 King Frederick William III of Prussia gave the estate to his daughter Louise, Princess of the Netherlands. The royal family kept it until 1908. During World War II there was a forced labor camp here; after 1945 the palace became a state farm. A private company bought it in 2004 and restored the whole complex in 2005–2007.

What to see

• The façade with round corner turrets, best photographed from across the pond.
• The landscape park, with old trees, garden sculptures, a fountain and pavilions.
• The terrace, with views over the park and, on clear days, Śnieżka, the highest peak of the Karkonosze.

The interiors are hotel spaces, not a museum, so don't expect guided tours of historic rooms.

Visiting tips (as of October 2026)

• Address: Wojanów 8, 58-508 Jelenia Góra; hotel reception +48 75 754 5300.
• Regional guides say the park can be visited free of charge; non-guests should check current rules at reception.
• The hotel has a restaurant, bar and spa with an 18 m pool. Prices are in Polish złoty (PLN).
• Allow about an hour for a walk around the park.
• Is it worth visiting? Yes, especially combined with neighboring palaces into a half-day or full-day route.

Nearby

Within a few kilometers you'll find the palaces of Łomnica, Bobrów and Karpniki and the ruined Bolczów Castle in the Rudawy Janowickie hills. Jelenia Góra's arcaded market square is a short drive away.