Habsburg Palace in Bestwina

The late Neoclassical palace in Bestwina was built in 1824-1826 for Karl Ludwig of Habsburg. Today it is the working seat of the Bestwina Municipal Office, so it is seen mainly from the outside and from the park.

Who built the palace and when

Karl Ludwig of Habsburg began construction in 1824, and the work was completed two years later. He had received the Bestwina estate in 1822 from Albert Casimir, Duke of Saxe-Teschen. A manor house had stood on the site earlier and already existed in 1815; the first design for it was made by Florian Jilg. The available sources do not name the architect of the present palace.

What the building looks like

The palace is a quadrangle with a closed, square courtyard and two exits, to the east and to the west. The front faces west. The building is of brick and partly has a cellar, and the interiors have barrel, cloister and pendentive vaults. A shared corridor leads to eighteen living rooms.

The Habsburgs and the palace after the war

In December 1933 Leon Karol Habsburg moved to Bestwina, having first ordered a thorough renovation: drainage around the building, central heating, new floors, running water and electricity. After his death in April 1939 the estate passed to Countess Maria-Klothilda von Thuillières. In 1944 the Habsburgs left for Vienna, and in 1945 the palace was damaged in the fighting and looted. After the war it housed the municipal authorities, a library, a health centre, a nursery school and the municipal cultural centre. Since 1998 it has been the seat of the municipal office, and council sessions are held in the former drawing room.

The park around the palace

The park complex covers 4.5 ha, between Szkolna, Krakowska and Podzamcze streets. It is divided into a landscaped part, former vegetable gardens, viewing clearings and farmland; oaks, among other trees, grow there. A monument from 1962 stands by the entrance gate. Less than a kilometre further on stands the Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Bestwina.

Practical information

• Address: ul. Krakowska 111, Bestwina.
• The building is in use as a municipal office: it is visited from the outside, and the interiors are accessible only when dealing with official matters at the office or during events organised by the municipality.
• The palace is listed in the heritage register.
• Entry rules are best checked on the website of the Bestwina Municipal Office.