Palace in Sławików

The palace in Sławików is an eclectic ruin in a park, the former residence of the von Eikstedt family in the municipality of Rudnik near Racibórz. The walls, the vaults of the cellars and ground floor, and a tunnel under the terrace have survived. The municipality is securing the building against further degradation.

Where the palace came from

The exact date of construction has not been established, because the building has not been fully studied. The heritage register dates it to the turn of the 18th and 19th centuries, while other studies give various dates from the third quarter of the 19th century to the end of that century. In 1795-1831 an older palace belonged to the Eichendorff family and was a one-storey building. In 1856-1865 Ernest von Eikstedt considerably extended it in the spirit of eclecticism with neoclassical accents. Eikstedt's descendants were the owners until 1945.

What it looked like

The palace was built of brick, plastered, three-storey, on a rectangular plan. The east façade had 19 bays, with a five-bay projecting central section crowned by a triangular pediment with reliefs and a columned portico. The garden elevation was closed off by cylindrical turrets. To the south-east a two-storey orangery in the form of an arcaded gallery was added. A terrace leading to the park adjoined the building, and under it runs a tunnel that exists to this day.

The ruin and the park

The palace was partly destroyed at the end of the Second World War in the fighting for the Łubowice bridgehead. In the Polish People's Republic it belonged to a state farm, its furnishings were looted and the building fell into ruin. After 1989 it passed to a private investor, who in 2005 handed it over to the municipality of Rudnik. Since 2018 the municipality has been securing the building.

Around the palace stretches a park of 6 hectares with deciduous trees, the ruin of the neo-Gothic burial chapel of the von Eikstedts and the remains of a granary and an orangery.

Nearby

It is less than seven kilometres from here to the Łężczok nature reserve, and about four to the water mill in Brzeźnica.

Practical information

• Location: Sławików, Parkowa Street, municipality of Rudnik, Racibórz County.
• The ruin is best viewed from the outside; the building is being secured by the municipality.
• Before setting out it is worth checking on the website of the municipality of Rudnik whether the site is accessible.