"Ludwikówka" Manor House in Pszczyna

The “Ludwikówka” manor house is a Classicist residence from around 1800, a former manor of the Princes of Pszczyna, located in Pszczyna on Dunikowskiego and Chopina streets. It stands on the northern edge of the former English park surrounding the castle and closes its main viewing axis.

For whom it was built

The manor house was built around 1800 (according to other findings 1805) to plans and under the supervision of Wilhelm Pusch, court architect of the Anhalt-Köthen family, who then ruled Pszczyna. The name comes from the first name of Ludwig of Anhalt (1783-1841), the youngest son of Friedrich Erdmann of Anhalt; the German name Schloss Ludwigswunsch means literally “Ludwig's wish”. Until 1830 Ludwig lived here permanently, and during his rule in the Principality of Pszczyna (1830-1841) “Ludwikówka” was the main centre of court life in Pszczyna.

Architecture

The single-storey building with a habitable attic, built on a rectangular plan, has a nine-axis front elevation with a projecting two-storey portico of four Tuscan columns. In the pediment there is a cast-iron cartouche with the Anhalt coat of arms, and beneath the portico a narrow terrace with steps. The rear elevation is decorated with a three-axis projection with four pilasters. The manor house, together with an annexe, a farm building, a stable and a coach house, formerly formed a separate complex, linked to the castle by an avenue. It was thoroughly renovated in 2008-2010.

In the neighbourhood

It is less than a kilometre from Pszczyna Castle; it is similarly close to the Pszczyna Village Farmstead and the Demonstration Bison Enclosure.

Practical information

• Address: ul. Ksawerego Dunikowskiego 3, Pszczyna (by ul. Chopina).
• The building is private property; it can be viewed from the outside, and it is worth checking the rules of entry before your visit.