Beautiful castle complex Dołhobyczów, southeastern Poland

For sale is the beautiful palace in Dołhobyczów, which is ready to be reconstructed, a classicist ensemble with gallery wings in the Polish province of Lublin.

History of the palace:
The first mention of the manor in Dołhobyczów comes from the "Ksiegi grodzkie horodelskie" of 1731, which states that Piotr and Jan Skrzetuski divided the estate in 1688. Half of the land was given to Grzymała Skrzetuski. The other half of the estate went to Anna Skrzetuska - her property included the manor house with garden and orchard. This is the oldest mention of the manor house (later castle) in Dołhobyczów. The oldest part of the current palace - the basement - probably also dates from this period, which is characterized by a different building material (made of different bricks) than the rest of the manor house. Other information about the palace comes from the period of its greatest splendor - when the Rastawieccy family, bearing the Sas coat of arms, were the owners of the lands of Dołhobyczów.

In 1782, Count Andrzej Rastawiecki (Vice Regent of Brac and Austrian Baron) acquired the lands of Dołhobyczów together with the manor house from the Stróżewski family. On his recommendation, the former manor house was expanded into a one-story palace. In 1809, after the death of Andrzej Rastawiecki, the village was inherited by his widow Katarzyna, from whom in turn her son Ludwik Rastawiecki - marshal and deputy of Tomaszów County - inherited the estate. After the death of Ludwik Rastawiecki in 1847, the estate was inherited by his son Edward Rastawiecki, a famous art historian, archaeologist and collector. During Edward's lifetime, the palace in Dołhobyczów, as well as Dołhobyczów itself, experienced its heyday.

In 1837 (while Ludwik Rastawiecki was still alive), the mansion was considerably extended at the instigation of Edward Rastawiecki. The extension was designed by the famous Italian designer Antonio Corazzi, known for buildings such as the Great Theater in Warsaw, the so-called "Staszic Palace" or the Palace of the Voivodeship Commission of Sandomierz in Radom. During the reconstruction of the palace complex in Dołhobyczów, the architect Antoni Beck collaborated with Corazzi. The palace was raised by one floor, two outbuildings with cellars were added on both sides, a stable with a tower, a storied granary and a manor house were built. In addition, the chateau park was laid out. In 1870 Dołhobyczów with the castle complex was acquired from Edward Rastawiecki by the Warsaw banker Mieczysław Epstein, and in 1896 Epstein sold it to Władysław and Maria Świeżawscy.

During World War I, the palace interiors were devastated, and the Świeżawscy family tried to renovate the palace and restore it to its former glory in the interwar period. They acquired antique furniture from different eras, brought family treasures and works of art (the palace contained, among others, paintings by Juliusz and Wojciech Kossak).

During the Second World War, the owners buried valuables in the palace grounds and abandoned the property. In 1944, during the battles with the Germans and the Ukrainian nationalists, the palace complex was burned down. In 1946, as part of the agrarian reform, the palace, together with the park, was integrated into the State Agricultural Enterprise in Dolhobyczow.

In 1977, the documentation required for the reconstruction of the palace was completed, and as early as 1982, the "Zamojskie Workshops for Monument Preservation" began the revitalization works. The works were to include the palace, the park and the granary. Since the palace and the park were still owned by the State Agricultural Combine (PGR), the plan was to transform the palace into a service and teaching facility after the revitalization, similar to a community center. However, the project could not be implemented, it remained with the reconstruction of the facade, and the interiors are still in a shell state.


Possible uses:
One possibility is to convert the palace into a palace hotel. There is a diploma thesis on this topic from the Technical University in Szczecin, Faculty: Architecture and Urban Planning, Department: Theory of Architecture, History and Preservation of Monuments. Supervisor: Prof. Dr. hab. inż. arch. Aleksandra Satkiewicz-Parczewska. The author of the thesis offers to continue the cooperation with the new owner.