Not without
reason,
Jeleniogórska
Valley is called the
Valley
of
Castles and Gardens and by many
people compared to the region of Châteaux of the
Loire
Valley.
This is due to the fact that the
Jeleniogórska
Valley is full of traces of a splendid
past.
It is characterised by a large
number of castles, palaces, and parks, which total as many as 22. It will
suffice to mention the ruins of the castle in Stara Kamienica; the
Chojnik
Castle
near Sobieszów; the representative palace in Cieplice, built in the 18th
century by the family of Schasffgotsch;
Mysłakowice
Castle;
Wojanów
Castle;
and palaces in Łomnica and Sobieszów.
Built in the romantic
style and redeveloped in the castle-gothic-style, the palaces create a unique
atmosphere of unity between the architecture and the parks.
In their erection, such famous constructors as
Friedrich Schinkel and Friedrich August Stüler provided their services, as well
as the genius landscape architect Peter Josef Lenné.
They created complexes of buildings and parks that are still visible
today, which are instances of European-class cultural heritage against the
background of the impressive
Karkonosze
Mountains.
CASTLES AND
STRONGHOLDS
The
Jeleniogórska
Valley
played a very strategic military role for centuries, the proof of which are
many military structures. The most famous stronghold is the castle erected at
the
peak of
Mount Chojnik. Picturesquely situated at
the edge of a steep cliff of almost vertical walls, the castle enjoys the huge
int
erest of tourists. The Chojnik Castle was built in 11 years (1353-1364) upon
the order of the Duke of Świdnica and Jawor Bolko II of Świdnica, who first
sold the castle and then bought it again; in the end his wife, the dutchess
Agnieszka, sold the castle in 1377 to Gotshe Schoffow, the progenitor of the Schaffgotsch
family; this family owned the castle until 1945.
The castle
never surrendered to any conquerors. In the 17th century, it caught
fire after being hit by lightning. The Schaffgotsch family never rebuilt its
estate, but decided to extend its palace with grange in Sobieszów at the feet
of
Mount
Chojnik.
Just as
romantic ruins are situated on the opposite side of the
Jeleniogórska
Valley.
The Bolczów Castle,
these days hidden in
a beech forest of Rudawy Janowickie (a small mountain
range of the Sudeten Mountains), towers over the village of Janowice Wielkie.
The castle was built by the knight Bolicz
around the year 1375, burned down during the Thirty-Year War, and captured by
the Swedes, those same who did not manage to seize the castle at
Mount
Chojnik.
Traces of
Medieva
l settlements are also seen in Siedlęcin by the River Bóbr flowing out
of the
Jeleniogórska
Valley. In the midst of
grange buildings stands an inconspicuous Knight's Tower House, situated on a
hill, which in the past was surrounded by water.
Erected probably at the beginning of the 14th
century, this is the most famous bu
ilding of this type in this part of
Europe.
On the third
floor inside, there are wall paintings depicting knights and religious subjects
that date back to the 1340's
,
and are one of
few examples of secular paintings from that period at such a high artistic
level.
It is also
worth visiting Stara Kamienica, in which in the 13th century stood a
castle redeveloped many times until the Renaissance, when it burnt down. One can
also see ruins of a castle in Rybnica. This stronghold was presumably built by
the king of Czech Charles IV. Near the
Jeleniogórska
Valley, the ruins of castles in
Bolków, Świny, Wleń
, and Świecie are also worth a visit, as well as the
Czocha
Castle
by the
Leśniańskie
Lake.
PALACES AND MANORS
In almost every village of the
Jeleniogórska
Valley, one can come across traces of the
heritage of the inhabitants of these lands. The most exquisite examples of this
heritage are palaces and manor estates. The largest concentration of these is
in the eastern part of the
Jeleniogórska
Valley on the banks of
the River Bóbr an
d Ło
mnica.
It is good
to start the journey in the village of Łomnica. There, in the so-called
Grand
Palace
dating back to the 17th century, a permanent exhibition is set up entitled
"The Valley of Castles and Gardens." Right nearby, the Widow's House was
built. The entire complex is surrounded by a park located by the River Bóbr. On
the other riv
erbank is the Wojanów Bobrów palace complex, which is said to have
been established on the site of a small medieval castle.
In the same
village in the year
1607, a
palace was erected, later redeveloped several times. In the middle of the 17th
century, its owner was the daughter of Frederick William III, Louise, the wi
fe
of the king of
Netherlands;
since then has been called the
Louise
Palace, to commemorate
her. Her father, Frederick William III, was frequently a guest in the
Jeleniogórska
Valley, the
proof of which is a palace
in Mysłakowice. The king of Prussia made it into his summer residence. Nearby,
in Bukowiec, Redens' Palace was built. The building itself is very modest in
form, probably so as not to overshadow the real pride of the countess von
Reden, a
romantic park very well known in the 17th and 18th
centuries all over Europe
.
There are
more examples of grand manors. In Barcinek, there are ruins of a magnificent
palace dating back to the 16
th century, in Dąbrownica there is an
example of a contemporary building from the second half of the 19th
century with Neo-Gothic and Eclectic features. In Karpniki, on the spot where
presumably in the 12th century th
e K
nights Templar built a castle,
today stands a Neo-Renaissance palace surrounded by a park in the English style.
In the very same village,
one can find a hunter's house, and in the nearby
Kowary is the
Ciszyca
Palace, which for a short
time was the residence of the Prince Antoni Radziwiłł. It is also worth having
a look at Now
y Dwór, built in 1570 by the count Schaffgotsch, redeveloped many
times. Undoubtedly, the largest and the most magnificent building of this
family is the Palace in Cieplice. The building was erected in the 16th
century and redeveloped many times.
The traces of the presence of this family can also be found in Sobieszów
and Janowice Wielkie, where palaces and grange buildings from various eras have
been preserved.
Similar
palace and gran
g
e estates are also located in Miłków.
Tourists will find there a Baroque palace
encircled by a park. The trip can end up in Staniszów, in a Late Baroque pal
ace
which was built on the site of an earlier stone-made
manor house, whose traces
are still visible. Near the so-called
Upper
Palace, there is a
Lower
Palace
wi
th many grange buildings.
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