Ostromecko Palaces

On a bluff above the Vistula, barely 5 km from the centre of Bydgoszcz, spreads the Ostromecko palace complex: the rococo Old Palace and the classicist New Palace, surrounded by an English park with an Italian garden. Andrzej Szwalbe, the founder of the Bydgoszcz philharmonic, called the place the „Wilanów of Bydgoszcz".

The Old Palace of the Mostowskis

The first palace was built around 1730 in the Saxon rococo style. The two-storey manor was transformed by Bogdan Teodor Mostowski, castellan of Płock, and his son Paweł Michał, voivode of Pomerania, made it into a grand residence — picnic parties ended hunting expeditions here. Today the three-storey building with a mansard roof houses Andrzej Szwalbe's Collection of Historic Pianos — nearly all forms of the piano from the 19th and the first half of the 20th century.

The New Palace and the owls

The classicist New Palace was built in 1840 for Jakub Martin Schönborn; the design is attributed to Karl Friedrich Schinkel. In 1912 a neo-Baroque wing with a ballroom was added — concerts take place there today. Another attraction is the „Cackling Attic" — an exhibition of around 8,000 owl figurines, donated to the palace by the Boese couple.

The park and practicalities

The English-style park hides the Schönborn mausoleum, while at the foot of the bluff stretch a Renaissance Italian garden and a lime avenue. Visiting daily except Mondays; the dining rooms serve dishes based on historic regional recipes, and guest rooms are available. Address: Parkowa Street, Ostromecko (Dąbrowa Chełmińska commune); information: palaceostromecko.pl.