Nieborów Palace
Nieborów Palace (Polish: Pałac w Nieborowie) is an aristocratic residence located in the village of Nieborów in Poland. Built in the 17th century by one of the greatest Baroque architects, the Dutchman Tylman van Gameren, the building belongs to one of the most renowned of Poland's aristocratic residences and serves as a museum of interior design of palace residences from the 17th to the 19th century, based on the surviving furniture and collections, featuring portraits of eminent personalities of the era, several thousand drawings and sketches, books (from the 16th century), porcelain and textiles.[1]
Nieborów originates from the end of the 12th century with the creation of a village including a church built in 1314 and a wooden mansion. At the beginning of 16th century a Gothic-Renaissance manor was built. It lasted until the end of 17th century, by which time Niebórow was owned by Nieborowski clan of the Prawda (Truth) Coat of Arms.[2]
The residential complex consists of a palace, coach house, manufactory, outbuilding, orangery and two parks – a formal park and an English-style park.[3]
History
A wooden mansion, which had been there since the
After the archbishop's death, the residence was inherited by Jerzy Hipolit Towianski and Konstancja of Niszczycki clan. Their son Krzysztof sold the estate to Aleksander Jakub Lubomirski and Karolina Fryderyka von Vitzthum. Since the year 1736, it was owned by brothers Stanislaw and Jan Jozef Lochocki.
The estate had its prime with various owners – The Great Hetman of Lithuania Michal Kazimierz Oginski (1766–1774) and Michael Hieronim and Helena of Radziwill clan, who was also the creator of nearby Arkadia. During their presence in the mansion, its interior has been pompously furnished with rococo and early classicist ornaments designed by Szymon Bogumił Zug.
After Michael Oginski died, the estate started to fall into decline. Its successors were too busy quarrelling among each other to actually take care of the mansion. The straw that broke the camel's back was the squandering of family assets (including Arkadia) by Zygmunt Radziwill, who, in addition, sold the best pieces of art gathered in Nieborów at an auction in Paris.
Fortunately, Zygmunt gave over the estate to his nephew Michael Piotr Radziwill in 1879, before fleeing to France. Prince Michael has proven to be a good landlord – he has restored Nieborów estate to its former glory, and also bought back the Arkadia. Michael Piotr Radziwill died in 1903 without an heir. The estate was given over to this distant cousin Janusz Radziwill. In 1922, he ordered to build a second floor, which was very skilfully integrated into the tall, baroque roof, without any interference with the building's silhouette. The interior has also been rebuilt by design of Romuald Gutt.[2]
Architecture
Neborow Estate has been designed by the greatest architect of that time –
The building has a two-section interior. The mansion may pride itself with rich endowing. Right by the entrance, in the vestibule there are copies of famous sculptures – Head of Niobe and the Roman Bust, as well as the unique theatrical lamp from the 18th century. Four sandstone portals lead to the vestibule. On the left side there is the main staircase, which has walls and ceiling covered by azure Dutch tiles. There are various portraits on the walls, including those of the last Polish king
Next to the White Hall there is a classicistic Yellow Study with a very interesting exhibit – a harmonica made of glass. There is also a bedroom with portraits of the
The Small Dining Room draws attention with its furniture from the turn of 18th and 19th century, as well as with a series of portraits depicting
Surrounding park
Nieborów Estate is surrounded by an impressive park. It consists of two big parts: landscape park designed by
The landscape park has a shape of an “L” letter. In its northern part there is a pond with a stream. A unique plant specimen grows here – Wolffia Arrhiza which is the smallest flowering plant in the world. In the park one can admire lapidariums and sculptures from different epochs. A special attention must be paid to: marble bas-relief named as “Porwanie Amfitryty przez Posejdona” (Kidnapping of Amphitrite by Poseidon), stone figures called “baby” (the women) which were transported to the park in 19th century from the Black Sea, and an ancient Roman gravestone built by Marek Wincjusz for Acilii Capitolinie. That surname was used by Henryk Sienkiewicz in Quo Vadis.
The museum
The museum in Nieborów Estate currently displays the inside of 17th and 18th century which is largely based on furniture that has survived, and supplemented with collection of the
For over 70 years, the Palace has served not only as a museum of popular interest, but also as a venue for international conferences and diplomatic meetings. Keeping the tradition that dates back to 1944, the Palace offers guest rooms to the most outstanding Polish authors and artists including such names as Andrzej Wajda, Władysław, Tatarkiewicz, Aleksander Gieysztor, Maria Dąbrowska and Sławomir Mrożek.
Bibliography
- Stanisław Lorentz, Nieborów 1945–1970 – Księga pamiątkowa, Warszawa 1970
- Adam Miłobędzki, Architektura Polski XVII Wieku, Warszawa 1980
- Mossakowski S., Tylman z Gameren, Warszawa 2003
- Piwkowski W., Nieborów – Arkadia (przewodnik), Łódź 1989
- Piwkowski W., Nieborów. Mazowiecka rezydencja Radziwiłłów, Warszawa 2005
- Muzeum w Nieborowie i Arkadii [online 25.01.2015r] http://www.nieborow.art.pl
References
This article needs additional citations for verification. (July 2016) |
- ^ Stołeczne Biuro Turystyki. "Museum in Nieborów and Arkadia (Muzeum w Nieborowie i Arkadii) | WarsawTour – Official Tourist Portal of Warsaw". Warsawtour.pl (in Polish). Retrieved 2016-06-04.
- ^ a b c "Muzeum w Nieborowie i Arkadii". www.nieborow.art.pl. Archived from the original on 5 October 2006. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
- ^ Polish National Tourist Office. "Nieborow Palace". Poland.travel. Retrieved 2016-06-04.