Palaces

Szymański Palace in Zawiercie

In the centre of Zawiercie, next to the neo-Gothic basilica, stands a small palace built in 1895–1910 for Stanisław Szymański, director of the Zawiercie Joint-Stock Company — the works that made the town famous. The design was the work of the architect Hugo Kudera.

A residence with a garden

The building was set on a stone plinth, and in front of the facade a carriage drive with two avenues was laid out; one ran through an ornamental gate and a bridge over a pond. Around stretched a garden, a vegetable plot, greenhouses and orangeries, a gardener's house, and even a cricket field. The park was laid out in the English style with rare trees and shrubs. The gate disappeared in 1945 — a small door took its place.

From library to restaurant

After World War II only the building survived from the whole design; in 1962–1968 a sports complex was introduced into the park, destroying its composition. Today the ground floor holds the Municipal Public Library, the attic houses a Museum Room and a branch of the Social Music Centres, and the cellars hold a restaurant.

In practice

The palace at Szymańskiego Street can be seen during the library's opening hours; combine the visit with the market square and the neo-Gothic basilica of Sts Peter and Paul from 1896. Zawiercie lies on national road 78.