Dembiński Palace in Szczekociny

The Dembiński Palace in Szczekociny is an early Classicist residence with a mansard roof, completed in 1794. It is part of a palace and park complex and since the 1990s it has stood unused, in poor technical condition.

The Dembiński family and the building of the palace

From 1709 the Szczekociny estate belonged to the Dembiński family of Dembiany. At that time there was still a wooden manor house here, built by the earlier owners, the Koryciński family. The decision to build a new residence was taken around 1775 by Franciszek Dembiński and his wife Urszula, née Morsztyn, of the Leliwa coat of arms. After Franciszek's death in 1776 the construction was led by Urszula. The art historian Władysław Tatarkiewicz regarded Jan Ferdynand Nax as the designer of the palace. The work was completed in 1794.

Layout of the complex

The palace and park complex is one of the earliest compositions in the landscape style in Poland. It is based on an east-west axis: an access road, a courtyard closed off by the palace, and a freely arranged garden. The extension of this axis is today's Senatorska Street, and at its end stands St Bartholomew's Church, rebuilt in 1782 in the Classicist style by Urszula Dembińska.

On both sides of the palace symmetrical single-storey outbuildings were built, linked to it by galleries on a quarter-circle plan. On the south side there was a geometric garden, on the north a farmstead. At the beginning of the 19th century a fence with three gates was added, along with two guardhouses at the main entrance, in which the servants and the caretaker lived.

Architecture of the palace

The palace was built of brick on a rectangular plan. The façade is divided symmetrically by a three-storey projection with an arcaded loggia on the ground floor. On its attic there is a clock face, a cartouche with the Leliwa and Pobóg coats of arms, and sculptures of Flora and Pomona. The garden elevation is decorated with a projection with a triangular tympanum, on which a bas-relief shows a scene from Ovid's Metamorphoses: Diana and Actaeon.

Fate after the war

After the Second World War the palace housed a school. In 1980 a fire destroyed the roof and the roof structure. In the 1980s renovation work was carried out with the intention of setting up a cultural centre here, but since 1990 the building has not been in use. Damaged parts include the façade decoration, the stuccowork and the installations.

Practical information

• Address: ul. Senatorska 50, Szczekociny.
• The palace is not open for visits to the interiors and is viewed from the outside. Before your visit it is worth checking whether the condition of the building and grounds has changed.
• On the way in the town centre there is also the synagogue in Szczekociny.