Tarło Palace Ruins in Podzamcze Piekoszowskie

Jan Aleksander Tarło, Voivode of Lublin, spent so much on this residence that, according to accounts, he had to sell 30 villages. His wife, Princess Anna Czartoryska, is said to have demanded to be driven to her new home by sleigh – although it was midsummer, the road was strewn with salt and horses were harnessed to the sledge. All that remains of the Baroque "palace modelled on Kielce" is a roofless ruin with four hexagonal towers, standing among the fields of Podzamcze Piekoszowskie near Kielce.

History: from magnates to ruin

In the early 17th century the Piekoszów estate passed to the Tarło family, one of the richest magnate dynasties in Poland. The palace was designed and built by Tomasz Poncino, an Italian architect who also built the Palace of the Kraków Bishops in Kielce – hence the striking resemblance between the two. Sources give different construction dates: 1649–1655 or 1645–1650.

The Tarłos kept the estate until 1842, when it was bought by Kazimierz Sosnowski; even then the roof was leaking. Around 1860 the roof and first floor burned down, and after 1880, when the residents moved out, local people began dismantling the walls. After 1917 a later owner tried to rebuild it but died after putting on a temporary roof. From 1921 the palace belonged to the Dobrzański family – relatives of the famous Major "Hubal", a Polish guerrilla commander of the Second World War. After the war the state took it over.

What to see

The stone-and-brick building stands on a low rise that was once surrounded by ponds and marshes. Features that are easy to recognise:

• four hexagonal corner towers – the northern ones housed the administration, the southern ones the staircases to the upper floor,
• the central entrance and the layout of the former rooms, still legible despite the missing roof,
• surviving stone window frames – details were carved from sandstone and the local Chęciny "marble",
• brick vaults and arches on the ground floor.

The legend of the treasure

According to local legend, gold belonging to confederates opposed to King Augustus III was hidden in Podzamcze. Adam Tarło was supposed to take it to Warsaw but was killed in a duel with Kazimierz Poniatowski – and the gold was never found. It is a story rather than a documented fact, but it explains why the ruin has fired imaginations for generations.

Current state and plans

In 2022 the heirs of the former owners were expropriated with compensation and the palace became state property; the Piekoszów municipality later took over its care. The municipality has applied for government funding to secure the walls, add a roof and restore the façade. Until that work happens, the ruin remains unsecured.

Tripto tip

The ruin is open to everyone and free of charge, but the walls can crumble – don't climb them or stand beneath overhanging sections. Allow 30–45 minutes to walk around it and look inside. The Green Velo cycle route passes nearby. The palace lies in the Piekoszów municipality, not in Chęciny, though both are easy to combine on a day trip from Kielce.