Hohenstein Castle, Olsztynek, Poland

Erected between 1350 and 1366 near the border of the Ostróda commandry with Masovia, at the behest of Günther von Hohenstein.

In 1410, after the Battle of Grunwald, fought just a few kilometers from Olsztynek, the castle was seized by the townspeople and handed over to Władysław II Jagiełło. After being reclaimed by the Teutonic Knights, it was damaged during the Polish–Teutonic War of 1414 and the Thirteen Years’ War.

During the last war between the Order and Poland, in December 1519, Olsztynek was taken by the troops of Crown Hetman Mikołaj Firlej, who, after the garrison of 200 soldiers surrendered, began an occupation of the castle lasting over a year. After the secularization of the Teutonic Order in 1525, the town was incorporated into Ducal Prussia, and the castle became the administrative seat of the princely starost.

In 1651 and 1685, the castle buildings were damaged by fires. By the late 18th century, after renovations, they were converted into offices for the Prussian commissariat, and part of the medieval structures was demolished. Between 1847 and 1849, the remnants were remodeled in a Neo-Gothic style and converted into a gymnasium. After being damaged during World War II, the rebuilt fragments of the castle were incorporated into a school building.

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Branicki Palace, Choroszcz, Poland In the mid-18th century, through inheritance, Choroszcz was acquired by Jan Klemens Branicki, who built his summer residence on the northern edge of the town. From 1725 to 1730, the first brick palace was constructed on the island located at the southern end of the canal. In 1757, this palace was demolished due to significant damage caused by moisture, and in its place, a new building was erected in 1759, modeled after the original palace. The entire complex was designed with strict symmetry, composed in the French style of entre cour et jardin, with the palace preceded by a grand courtyard and an entrance courtyard, which was accessed through a gate flanked by a guardhouse and a service building. On both sides of the entrance courtyard, two wings were built between 1760 and 1764: a kitchen wing and a guest wing, as well as two guest pavilions near the palace. The palace was surrounded by a park with a cross-shaped canal along the main axis. During the November Uprising in 1831, the palace was damaged and remained unused for the following years. In 1840, the tenant and later owner of the estate became Christian August Moes, who built a textile factory in place of the manor. In the 1860s, Moes expanded the palace structure to the east and west, filling in the canal surrounding the island. The building served residential and office purposes. During World War I, in August 1916, the palace was blown up, partially demolished in the 1930s, and rebuilt between 1961 and 1973, designated as a museum. #choroszcz #podlasie #podlaskie #palac #palace #chateau #branicki #palacbranickich #muzeum #museum #architektura #architecture #budynek #building #widok #krajobraz #landscape #polska #poland

Opatowska Gate, Sandomierz, Poland

It is a Gothic entrance gate from the 2nd half of the 14th century. It was built by Casimir the Great as part of the city’s defensive walls. The planning of the old town also dates from this period. At that time, the city was guarded by four gates. In addition to the Opatowska Gate, you could get to the center through the Zawichojska Gate, the Lublin Gate, also known as the Fisherman’s Gate, and the Krakow Gate.

Currently, the Opatowska Gate is approximately 30 m high, although originally it was slightly lower. The generosity of the wallet of the Sandomierz doctor Stanisław Bartolon in the 16th century allowed the gate to be enriched with an attic. It is worth remembering that of the entire Sandomierz city defense system, only the Opatowska Gate together with adjacent fragments of the walls and the lower part of the tower have survived to this day.

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Town Hall, Sandomierz, Poland

Initially, the Town Hall in Sandomierz was a Gothic building with simple architecture on a square plan. It was built in the 14th century, just after the Lithuanian invasion. In the 16th century, it was expanded into an elongated rectangle and then topped with a three-zone attic, the author of which is attributed to Giovanni Maria Padovano. At the beginning of the 17th century, a tower was added on the western side.

On the southern wall of the Town Hall there is a sundial made in the sgraffito technique by Tadeusz Przypkowski, former owner of the clock museum in Jędrzejów. In front of the Town Hall you can admire the statue of Our Lady Immaculate from 1776.

The Town Hall’s basements probably served as a prison. It is even possible that prisoners were tortured here - this is evidenced by the hooks and rings mounted on the walls.

Currently, the Town Hall houses the District Museum and the Civil Registry Office. The rooms are decorated in a Renaissance-Baroque style.

At 12.00, the Sandomierz bugle call is played from the Town Hall tower.

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Town Hall, Ciechanów, Poland

Ciechanów Town Hall is a neo-gothic building. It is located on the north side of the market. It was built in 1844 according to the design of the Italian architect Henryk Marconi (1792-1863). It was built of brick, on a rectangular plan, with a four-sided tower on the façade axis. The corners of the building are framed by polygonal pillars. Ogival windows. A cornice under the eaves made of suspended neo-gothic arcades, which at the same time forms the capitals of the pillars. The hipped roof is covered with sheet metal. The building is two-story, with a basement. It has a newer extension at the back.

In the panorama of the town, the Town Hall is a beautiful architectural accent, distinguished by its lightness and specific charm. To this day, it is the seat of the municipal authorities.

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The Radziwiłł palace and park complex in Biała Podlaska, Poland (part 2)

Entry gate

The Baroque gate, built of sandstone, was the main entrance to the residence. Built in the years 1699-1702, probably by the architect Józefat Jeziornicki, modeled on the triumphal arch of Constantine the Great in Rome, it was the showcase of the entire palace complex. It has a rich sculptural decoration of a triumphal and military character.

Gate tower

The tower is a Baroque building, erected by Józefat Jeziornicki in the years 1699-1701, projected on a square plan, framed from the bottom with two-storey buildings. It consists of five floors. It is topped with a Baroque helmet on a gloriette. The corners of the tower are decorated with two parallel pilaster strips running side by side. There was a clock on the tower from the side of the palace. In the past, the gate tower served as a guard and a prison.

Neck

Built in the years 1699-1701 and rebuilt in the 1920s, it connects the entrance gate with the gate tower. It is a brick and plastered building, on a quarter-circle plan, covered with a gable roof. In the past, it served as a communication link between the main gate and the tower through which the entrance to the courtyard led. Passing through the dark tunnel of the neck and seeing the palace building located at its exit aroused respect for the power of the Radziwiłł family.

#bialapodlaska #palac #palace #museum #muzeum #oficyna #annexe #outbuilding #wieza #tower #polska #poland #lubelskie #architektura #architecture #widok #krajobraz #landscape #budynek #brama #gate

The Radziwiłł palace and park complex in Biała Podlaska, Poland (part 1)

The former magnate residence of the Radziwiłł family, one of the most outstanding architectural realizations of the 17th century in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, based on the castle complex in Niewierz.

The main object of the complex in Biała Podlaska was the palace (1622-1630), imitated many times in the construction of other residences. The entire complex was built for over a hundred years (1622-1736) and consisted of a palace (demolished as a ruin in 1883), a chapel from 1628, three outbuildings encompassing one of the largest palace courtyards of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, a tower, an entrance gate and surrounding the entire a complex of earth fortifications of the Old Dutch system.

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