Palace in Kruszyna

The palace in Kruszyna is a magnate residence from 1630-1632, built as a fortified seat on a plan close to a square, with tower-like projecting bays in the corners. It was founded by the voivode of Sieradz, Kacper Denhoff, who had owned the Kruszyna estate since 1621. It was designed by the Italian architect Tomasz Poncini. Today the complex is closed to visitors.

The Denhoff residence

Next to the palace Denhoff laid out a French-style park, an imposing orangery and probably the first private theatre building in Poland. The guests here included Kings Władysław IV and John Casimir, and after the wedding of Michał Korybut Wiśniowiecki and Eleonora of Habsburg at Jasna Góra in 1670, the first part of the wedding celebrations took place in the palace. In 1683, on his way to relieve Vienna, John III Sobieski rested here.

Later owners

At the end of the 17th century the palace passed into the hands of the Kraśnicki family and gradually declined. In the early 19th century it was renovated by the Martini family, and in 1867 it was thoroughly rebuilt by Eugeniusz Lubomirski. The interiors then acquired a Neo-Baroque character, and the Lubomirskis gathered works of art and a library, including a collection of portraits of Polish princes and kings. In 1863 the palace housed a field hospital. After the war it was, among other things, a children's home and the seat of an agricultural cooperative, and a renovation begun in the late 1960s was never completed.

Architecture and park

The palace combines features of the North Italian Renaissance and Mannerism. An avenue leads to it through a Baroque gate with two guardhouses, and above the entrance, in the form of a loggia with three arcades, a foundation plaque from 1630 is set into the wall. In the windows one can see the Denhoff coats of arms, and between the roof and the first-floor windows loopholes. The entrance hall with two pillars and the dining room with Late Renaissance stucco have survived. The park behind the palace covers about 15 hectares and has a quartered layout of avenues. In its western part stand pavilions: Denhoff's Hermitage from the mid-17th century and the Chapel, also called Sobieski's Gazebo.

Nearby

Right next to it stands the parish Church of St Matthias, and in the area you will find the palace in Nieznanice.

Practical information

• Address: ulica Andrzeja Kmicica 6, Kruszyna.
• The palace and park are not open to visitors; the complex is fenced and guarded. Before a visit check the current situation on the Kruszyna municipality website.