It is called the “Little Versailles” or the “Silesian Versailles”. That was the name given to the palace in Świerklaniec, built in the second half of the 19th century for Guido Henckel von Donnersmarck. Today it no longer exists: it burned down in 1945 and the ruins were demolished. What remains is the park, a terrace with pools, sculptures and several buildings that make it possible to see what this residence looked like. We describe the surviving structures separately, because they are what you can see on a walk through the palace park in Świerklaniec.

Origin of the name and who designed it

The palace was under construction from 1868. The literature dates the completion of the work to 1875 or 1876, depending on whether one counts the building works only or the finishing works too. The German name was Neues Schloss Neudeck, that is the New Castle in Świerklaniec, which distinguished it from the older Donnersmarck castle. The terms “Little Versailles” and “Silesian Versailles” became established in regional literature and sightseeing materials, and refer to the French character of the building and its terraced layout, not to an official name.

The design is attributed to the French architect Hector-Martin Lefuel, known for the extension of the Louvre. The National Heritage Institute indicates that the original concept may have been prepared by Pierre Manguin, and that Lefuel developed it. The French character of the residence was linked to Guido's first wife, Blanka de Païva, who died in Świerklaniec in 1884. The second wife, Katharina Slepzow, was later laid to rest in the same mausoleum as her husband.

A palace on oak piles

The complex stood in the Brynica valley, on partly marshy ground, so the foundations rested on more than two thousand oak piles. The building had a horseshoe plan, an impressive hall, a main staircase, high mansard roofs and stone window surrounds. The style is described as French Neo-Renaissance with elements of the Baroque, and in some descriptions as Neo-Baroque.

On the garden side the palace joined a system of terraces, stairs, pools and fountains leading to the park. The main fountain was modelled on the fountain by Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux near the Paris Observatory. By the pools stood four cast-iron sculptural groups by Emmanuel Frémiet, showing scenes of animal fights. French firms and artists contributed to the furnishing of the interiors, among them the decorator Charles Rossigneux and the Paris firm Christofle.

1945 and the demolition

After the partition of Upper Silesia in 1922 Świerklaniec found itself in Poland, but the palace remained the property of the family. In January 1945 it was looted and set on fire by Soviet soldiers. The roofs, ceilings and furnishings burned, and the burnt-out walls stood for several more years. The ruins were stripped of stonework and building materials; some of the recovered stone elements were used in the construction of the Basin Palace of Culture in Dąbrowa Górnicza.

The dates of the demolition are given differently. Some sources speak of the 1950s, others of 1962, and our park entry of the 1960s. The year 1962 refers rather to the blowing up of the ruins of the old castle, which was demolished separately.

What remained and what came back

From the palace the foundations, garden terraces, pools, fountain and Frémiet's sculptures survived. The park also survived, with an area of about 200 hectares, including more than 8 hectares of water. Its design is linked to Peter Joseph Lenné, although the National Heritage Institute considers this possible rather than certain, and the work was developed by Gustav Meyer.

Also surviving from the former residence are the Kawaler Palace (Pałac Kawalera), built in 1903-1906 to a design by Ernst von Ihne for guests, and the former castle chapel. The chapel was designed by Julius Carl Raschdorff and built in 1895-1896, and in 1903-1905 a mausoleum was added in which Guido and his second wife were buried. The park entry gives the dates 1896-1897, so here too the sources diverge. Today it is the second church of the parish whose main church is the Church of Christ the King of the Universe.

The main cast-iron gate of the former residence went after the war to Silesian Park in Chorzów and forms the entrance to the Silesian Zoological Garden. A second, side gate also ended up in Chorzów, but did not serve as an entrance. Chorzów handed it over free of charge to the municipality of Świerklaniec, and it was erected in the park on 19 September 2025. Hence the gate that came back in the title.

The park is also marked out by trails. The blue Świerklaniec Trail from Grodziec to Miasteczko Śląskie passes through the park and goes by the reservoirs Kozłowa Góra and Chechło-Nakło.