Pałac w Żaganiu i jego odbudowa

• Authors: Długosz Józef

Title variants

EN

THE PALACE AT ŻAGAŃ AND ITS RECONSTRUCTION

• Languages of publication: PL EN

Abstracts

EN

Żagań, a town in Zielona Gora voivodship, in the valley of the Bobr river, has an 800-year-long history. Originally it was the capital of an independent dutchy ruled by the Silesian Piasts (up to 1472); later it was in the hands of Saxonic princes (up to 1549), the Habsburgs (up to 1742) and the Hohenzollerns (until 1918). From its oldest days Żagań was the centre of trade and craftsmanship and the place of the struggle of the Polish element with germanizing onrush. Despite natural calamities: wars, epidemics, fires and floods — a number of secular and church buildings had been erected in the town; the majority of them were destroyed during the 2nd World War. One of the most outstanding architectural structures in the town is a large baroque palace from the 17th century erected on the site of the former prince’s castle, extended during the reign of subsequent owners: Albrecht Wallenstein (1628— 1634), Prince Wacław Euzebiusz Lobkowic and his descendants (1646— 1786) as well as Prince Piotr Biron and his daughters (1786— 1862). The building was composed of three wings: the north one called Wallenstein, the west one called Lobkowicki and the east wing known as Kurlandzki, surrounded by a vast park. The period of the palace’s greatest splendour was under Princess Dorota Talleyrand-Perigord (1793-1862), the youngest daughter of Prince Binor, known as Princess Dina and Princess of Żagań (since 1845). Princess Dorota was an art lover and collectioner. She knew very well various aristocratic residences and the most refined salons of Paris, Vienna and London. She made use of all this knowledge when furnishing the palace at Żagań. She had many works of art collected by her father and Minister Talleyrand, her husband's uncle. The Princess inherited quite a fortune; the remaining money came from the income from the Żagań Dutchy. Thanks to her efforts a number of apartments were arranged in the palace, to mention only the royal one, great and small Kurlands’ gallery, Kaunitz's room, Talleyrand’s salon, Flora’s salon, apartments of ambassadors, French and German libraries, Wallenstein’s room, great marble gallery, big and small red rooms, blue room, palace theatre, chapel and others. Princess Dorota played a hostess to a great number of aristocrats from the whole of Europe, politicians, military men, scholars and a rtists. Rich archives were compiled from her days, containing priceless autographs of the most outstanding personalities of that time and an ample correspondence of the Princess. After her death, the palace lost some of its splendour but remained almost unchanged till 1945. Later on, the palace fell into ruin. The reconstruction of 1964— 1983 was carried out by local authorities from state funds. Because of the size of the palace renewal work was done on a large scale and the palace’s appearance from the days of its greatest splendour was in principle restored. During the reconstruction, in January 1975, the Żagań Palace of Culture was established there as a host of the entire bu ilding. Apart from that, the Palace is now the seat of the Town Public Library, the Registry and the Institute of Electronic Computational Technics, operating for the needs of the local community and industry. The work is being continued on the furnishing of rich interiors, in which various a rtistic and cultural events are held. The completion of the reconstruction was commemorated by coining a special medal according to the design of Leszek Krzyszkowski. The obverse bears the inscription: "The Palace of the Lobkowics and Talleyrands — Renovation 1965— 1983", while the effigies of mascarons decorating the entire elevation of the palace are put on the reverse. The whole structure has been recognized as a monument of the highest class, next to palaces at Książ, Baranow, Krasiczyn, Łańcut, Wiśnicz and Wilanow.

• Publisher: Narodowy Instytut Dziedzictwa
• Journal: Ochrona Zabytków
• Year: 1985
• Issue: 1
• Pages: 37-44

Dates

published

1985

Contributors

author

Długosz Józef

• dr, Uniwersytet Wrocławski

References

• A. H e i n r i c h , Geschichtliche Nachrichten uber das Saganer Schloss, cz. 1 (w:) Jahresbericht des Gymnasiums zu Sagan fur das Schuljahr 1893-1894, s. 3— 14.
• G. S t e l l e r , Grund- und Gutsherren im Furstentum Sagan (1400-1940), Sagan 1940, s. 2-37.
• P. Z i e g l e r , The Duchess of Dino, New York 1963, s. 91— -92.
• O. T e i c h e r t , Der Herzogliche Park zu Sagan, Sagan 1858, s. 5-23.
• P. Lauschke, Fuhrer durch Sagan, Sagan 1910, s. 8-17;
• Besucht die schone Boberstadt Sagan, Sagan 1934, k. nlb.
• Duchesse de Dino, Chronique de 1831-1862, t. 1— 4, Paris 1909— 1911.
• Jest to wybor z korespondencji ks. Doroty dokonany przez jej wnuczkę Marię Radziwiłłową ;
• „Schlesische Zeitung” , 116, 5—9, 1857.
• W. No r b e r t , Schloss Sagan, Bielefeld 1925, s. 7— 10.
• J. Sowi ń s k i , Wędrowki przedmiotow, Wrocław 1978, s. 86- 88.

Identifiers

ISSN

0029-8247