Palace in Czechowice-Dziedzice

The Kotuliński Palace stands in Czechowice-Dziedzice on Zamkowa Street. It is a Rococo residence from the 18th century, surrounded by a park, entered in the heritage register in 1960. Its owners changed over the centuries, and in the 20th century the building served functions ranging from an agricultural school to a hotel.

The residence of a High Chancellor

Czechowice was acquired in 1675 by Baron Fryderyk Aleksander Kotuliński of Kotulin. His son Franciszek Karol became High Chancellor of Lower and Upper Silesia and starost of the Duchy of Głogów, and around 1730 he decided to build a residence befitting his position. In 1765 the palace passed to Count Andrzej Renard, and his family owned it until 1856. The Renards embellished the building, laid out a flower garden and an orchard, and in the triangular tympanum above the projection they hung their coat of arms, held by two lions.

From agricultural school to hotel

Later owners included Baron Bernhard Heldreich, Joseph Heiser and the Raaben family, and the last private owners before the war were the Zipser family, manufacturers from nearby Bielsko. At the beginning of the 20th century a three-sided glazed veranda with a conservatory was added on the garden side.

In 1945 the palace was nationalised and an agricultural school was set up in it. In the early 1990s it became the property of the town, and then passed into the hands of private investors. After a thorough renovation, co-financed by the voivodeship conservator of monuments, the interiors and park were renewed, and the building was converted into a hotel. Later the property changed owner, and the historic furnishings were sold separately.

What you see from outside

The heritage register describes the palace as brick, in the Rococo style, dated to the 18th and 19th centuries. From the front you can see a projection with a triangular tympanum and the Renard coat of arms, and from the garden side a glazed veranda.

Nearby

Closest, about 300 metres from the palace, stands St Catherine's Church.

Further on, towards Bielsko-Biała, you will find Juliusz Słowacki Park.

Practical information

• Address: ul. Zamkowa 2, Czechowice-Dziedzice.
• The function of the building and the rules for entering the palace and park grounds changed with the owners, so before your visit it is worth checking the current state on the website of the town of Czechowice-Dziedzice.