Palaces

Rzucewo Castle

Above the calm waters of Puck Bay, in a Kashubian village between Reda and Puck, stands a palace that locals have called a castle for centuries. The site’s history reaches back to the 16th century, when the manor of the Wejher family stood here; later it passed into the hands of Jan III Sobieski — it was offered to him by his sister, the widow of Michał Radziwiłł. The king visited several times, but his beloved Marysieńka resided here more often.

From the Sobieskis to the neo-Gothic

After 1685 the Sobieskis built a baroque palace, and in 1769–1772 Ignacy Przebendowski demolished both houses and erected a rococo residence. The palace took its present neo-Gothic form in 1840–1845, when it was built for Gustav von Below to a design by Friedrich August Stüler, an eminent Prussian architect.

A hotel by the bay

After years of neglect the complex underwent a thorough revitalisation: today it houses an elegant hotel with a restaurant and café, and from the garden a path leads down to a narrow sandy beach — the waterline is barely 100 metres away. Horses graze behind the garden, and the water in the bay can be so calm that it resembles a lake.

In practice

The palace stands at Rzucewo 6, Puck commune. The café and restaurant are also open to non-resident guests, and in fine weather breakfast is served on the terrace overlooking the bay. Combine your visit with a walk to the former seal hunters’ settlement with its museum and cultural park, and with the Beka reserve about 3 km away.