Greater Poland Castle in Rokosowo

Corner towers with battlements, a dry moat and a coat of arms above the entrance – from a distance the residence in Rokosowo looks like a knight's stronghold. In fact it is a Romantic palace of the Mycielski family from the mid-19th century, designed by the Berlin architect Friedrich August Stüler. Since 2023 it has operated as the Greater Poland Castle (Zamek Wielkopolski), with a park open to walkers and Sunday tours of the interiors.

History: a dream its creator never saw

The new residence was the idea of Karolina née Wodzicka, wife of Count Józef Mycielski, but she died suddenly of cholera in Warsaw in 1849. Work continued regardless: the palace rose in the mid-19th century on the site of a more modest Renaissance manor reached by two drawbridges – the moat is one of the few remnants of that earlier layout. The gable of the central projection bears the date 1850 and a cartouche with the Mycielski coat of arms, Dołęga.

The Mycielskis did not stay long. According to the current operator, in 1868 the residence passed to Prince Adam Konstanty Czartoryski, then to his son Zygmunt and grandson Jan Roman. In 1939 the Czartoryskis were forced to leave. After the war the palace was used for education, and a state farm was set up on the estate. A major renovation took place in 1984–1986; from 2002 to 2023 the building housed a European Integration Centre, and the restoration of the palace and park was completed in 2023.

What to see

Two round, four-storey towers frame the facade, and battlements crown the whole building. The historian Marcin Libicki described the residence as the fulfilment of Romantic dreams inspired by Walter Scott, Byron and Mickiewicz, combining English Gothic Revival with the tradition of the Florentine palazzo. Inside is a two-storey chapel with a rib vault – the first of its kind in the Greater Poland region. At the back of the building is the former winter garden.

The English landscape park was laid out around 1850 on the site of orchards and gardens. It covers about 10 hectares, including 0.8 ha of ponds, with winding paths and a viewing hill. Its protected trees include an oriental plane, a pedunculate oak, a small-leaved lime, an ash and a birch.

Tripto tip

The park is open daily 08:00–18:00 (hours announced for the 2026 autumn–winter season); it may close in strong winds because of the old trees. Guided tours of the interiors run on Sundays at 13:00 and 15:00, and on weekdays by prior arrangement by phone. The café is open Saturdays and Sundays, 11:00–18:00. Weddings and conferences mean the whole building is not always accessible, so check announcements on the website before you go. Allow about 2 hours for the park and a tour.