Krasicki Palace
Encyclopedia
Krasiczyn Castle is a Renaissance
structure in Krasiczyn
, Poland
, located on a lowland on the right bank of the San, along the route Przemyśl
-Sanok
(about 10 kilometres southwest of the city of Przemysl). The castle across the centuries belonged to several noble Polish families, and was visited by many Polish kings. Together with a picturesque garden, it now belongs to the Industrial Development Agency .
. Works lasted for 53 years, and the castle was not completed until 1633, by Marcin Krasicki, son of Stanisław and Voivode of Podolia
, who in the meantime had changed his name. Originally, the castle was a fortified stronghold, protecting southern border of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth
. However, Marcin Krasicki, who was regarded as one of the most important promoter of arts in the country, turned the fortress into a sophisticated residence (palazzo in fortezza), under supervision of Italian architect, Galleazzo Appiani
. Also, he dubbed the complex Krasiczyn, after his last name. Later, a village of Krasiczyn
grew near the castle, also bearing the same name. The Krasiczyn castle was built on the site of an older, wooden complex, called Sliwnica, which had probably been built in the 14th century.
Despite numerous fires and wars across the centuries, the castle’s complex has been essentially unchanged since the early 17th century. Built as a square, with walls representing all four quarters of the globe, at the corners there are four oval-shaped towers: Divine (Boska), Papal (Papieska), Royal (Krolewska), and Noble (Szlachecka). These names reflected the eternal order of the world, with four grades of authority. The rectangular, spacious court is surrounded to the east and north by living quarters, and to the south and west by walls, adorned with attic
s. In the middle of the western wall, there is a square-shaped tower of the clock (Zegarowa), added by Marcin Krasicki at the beginning of the 17th century. This tower serves as a main gate, with a wall bridge over the moat
. Across the centuries, the castle attracted most famous personalities of Polish history. Among visitors, there were kings Sigismund III Vasa
, Wladyslaw IV Vasa
, John II Casimir Vasa, and Augustus II the Strong
. Sigismund III Vasa, of whom Marcin Krasicki was a loyal supported, visited the castle thrice. For the first time, in 1608, together with wife Constance of Austria
.
, located in the Divine Tower, which has been compared to the Sigismund's Chapel
in Krakow
’s Wawel Cathedral
. Among other interesting things, there are richly sculpted portals
, loggia
s, arcades
, and unique wall decorations, sgraffito
, whose total area is about 7000 square meters. All works were overseen by Italian architects, and the details were completed by craftsmen from nearby Przemysl. The sgraffito depicted Roman emperors, Polish kings, members of the Krasicki family, hunting scenes, and saints of the Roman-Catholic Church. Unfortunately, most of the interior design has been destroyed, mostly by the Red Army
soldiers, who were stationed there from October 1939 to June 1941 (see: Polish September Campaign, Operation Barbarossa
).
Near the castle, there is a Swiss Pavilion, connected with Krasiczyn by a secret passage. Also, in the adjacent park, one will find a Hunter’s Pavilion, a villa in a hunter’s style. The park itself is abundant with birds and plants.
, and his family owned the complex until 1944 (with the exception of the 1939 - 1941 Soviet occupation), when Communist government of Poland nationalized it. The Sapiehas invested a lot of money in the castle. They remodelled it, with help of architect Engerth from Vienna
, founded a sawmill, a brewery, and a small factory of farmers’ appliances. They actively promoted economic development of the whole area. On May 3, 1852, a great fire destroyed almost whole complex, except for the chapel, and it took several years to repair the damages. In 1867, one of the most important personalities of Polish Catholic Church, Cardinal Adam Stefan Sapieha
was born here.
In late 1941, after German invasion of Soviet Union
, Andrzej Sapieha returned to the castle, which had been used as barracks for soldiers of the Red Army (see Molotov Line
). This is his description: “On the floors there is garbage, old clothes, destroyed books. Walls full of Soviet propaganda posters, no furniture, instead of it, wooden beds everywhere. The chapel is completely ruined, all sculptures on the walls destroyed as high as the savages could have reached. Altars and pews destroyed. All three monuments have disappeared. The church in a terrible state, as it had been used as stables and a butcher shop. Metal coffins were used by the Bolsheviks as bathtubs”.
, the Communist government nationalized the complex and set up a high school of forestry in the buildings. In the 1970s, the castle was owned by the automobile manufacturer from Warsaw
. After collapse of the Communist system, the castle found a new owner, Warsaw’s Industrial Development Agency (Agencja Rozwoju Przemyslu S.A.), which has carried out extensive renovation of the complex. As a result, in 2000, Krasiczyn was added to the association of hotels and restaurants located in historic buildings (European Castle Hotels & Restaurants).
Renaissance
The Renaissance was a cultural movement that spanned roughly the 14th to the 17th century, beginning in Italy in the Late Middle Ages and later spreading to the rest of Europe. The term is also used more loosely to refer to the historical era, but since the changes of the Renaissance were not...
structure in Krasiczyn
Krasiczyn
Krasiczyn is a village in Przemyśl County, Subcarpathian Voivodeship, in south-eastern Poland. It is the seat of the gmina called Gmina Krasiczyn. The village has a population of 440...
, Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
, located on a lowland on the right bank of the San, along the route Przemyśl
Przemysl
Przemyśl is a city in south-eastern Poland with 66,756 inhabitants, as of June 2009. In 1999, it became part of the Podkarpackie Voivodeship; it was previously the capital of Przemyśl Voivodeship....
-Sanok
Sanok
Sanok is a town in south-eastern Poland with 39,110 inhabitants, as of 2 June 2009. It's the capital of Sanok County in the Subcarpathian Voivodeship. Previously, it was in the Krosno Voivodeship and in the Ruthenian Voivodeship , which was part of the Lesser Poland province...
(about 10 kilometres southwest of the city of Przemysl). The castle across the centuries belonged to several noble Polish families, and was visited by many Polish kings. Together with a picturesque garden, it now belongs to the Industrial Development Agency .
History
The construction of the castle started in 1580, initiated by a local nobleman Stanislaw Siecienski of Siecin, who came to the area from MazoviaMazovia
Mazovia or Masovia is a geographical, historical and cultural region in east-central Poland. It is also a voivodeship in Poland.Its historic capital is Płock, which was the medieval residence of first Dukes of Masovia...
. Works lasted for 53 years, and the castle was not completed until 1633, by Marcin Krasicki, son of Stanisław and Voivode of Podolia
Podole Voivodeship
The Podole Voivodeship was a unit of administrative division and local government in the Kingdom of Poland, since the 14th century till 1793/1795, except for a short period of Ottoman Empire administration as Podolia Eyalet. Together with the Bracław Voivodeship it formed the historical province...
, who in the meantime had changed his name. Originally, the castle was a fortified stronghold, protecting southern border of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth
Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth
The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth was a dualistic state of Poland and Lithuania ruled by a common monarch. It was the largest and one of the most populous countries of 16th- and 17th‑century Europe with some and a multi-ethnic population of 11 million at its peak in the early 17th century...
. However, Marcin Krasicki, who was regarded as one of the most important promoter of arts in the country, turned the fortress into a sophisticated residence (palazzo in fortezza), under supervision of Italian architect, Galleazzo Appiani
Galleazzo Appiani
Galleazzo Appiani was an Italian architect who worked in Poland. Amongst his designs are the Carmelite Church in Przemyśl and the Krasicki Palace, built between 1592 and 1618 for the Krasicki family in Krasiczyn....
. Also, he dubbed the complex Krasiczyn, after his last name. Later, a village of Krasiczyn
Krasiczyn
Krasiczyn is a village in Przemyśl County, Subcarpathian Voivodeship, in south-eastern Poland. It is the seat of the gmina called Gmina Krasiczyn. The village has a population of 440...
grew near the castle, also bearing the same name. The Krasiczyn castle was built on the site of an older, wooden complex, called Sliwnica, which had probably been built in the 14th century.
Despite numerous fires and wars across the centuries, the castle’s complex has been essentially unchanged since the early 17th century. Built as a square, with walls representing all four quarters of the globe, at the corners there are four oval-shaped towers: Divine (Boska), Papal (Papieska), Royal (Krolewska), and Noble (Szlachecka). These names reflected the eternal order of the world, with four grades of authority. The rectangular, spacious court is surrounded to the east and north by living quarters, and to the south and west by walls, adorned with attic
Attic
An attic is a space found directly below the pitched roof of a house or other building . Attic is generally the American/Canadian reference to it...
s. In the middle of the western wall, there is a square-shaped tower of the clock (Zegarowa), added by Marcin Krasicki at the beginning of the 17th century. This tower serves as a main gate, with a wall bridge over the moat
Moat
A moat is a deep, broad ditch, either dry or filled with water, that surrounds a castle, other building or town, historically to provide it with a preliminary line of defence. In some places moats evolved into more extensive water defences, including natural or artificial lakes, dams and sluices...
. Across the centuries, the castle attracted most famous personalities of Polish history. Among visitors, there were kings Sigismund III Vasa
Sigismund III Vasa
Sigismund III Vasa was King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania, a monarch of the united Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth from 1587 to 1632, and King of Sweden from 1592 until he was deposed in 1599...
, Wladyslaw IV Vasa
Wladyslaw IV Vasa
Władysław IV Vasa was a Polish and Swedish prince from the House of Vasa. He reigned as King of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth from 8 November 1632 to his death in 1648....
, John II Casimir Vasa, and Augustus II the Strong
Augustus II the Strong
Frederick Augustus I or Augustus II the Strong was Elector of Saxony and King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania ....
. Sigismund III Vasa, of whom Marcin Krasicki was a loyal supported, visited the castle thrice. For the first time, in 1608, together with wife Constance of Austria
Constance of Austria
Archduchess Constance of Austria was a Queen consort of Poland.-Biography:...
.
Architecture of the castle
One of most precious elements of the complex is a chapelChapel
A chapel is a building used by Christians as a place of fellowship and worship. It may be part of a larger structure or complex, such as a church, college, hospital, palace, prison or funeral home, located on board a military or commercial ship, or it may be an entirely free-standing building,...
, located in the Divine Tower, which has been compared to the Sigismund's Chapel
Sigismund's Chapel
"Sigismund's Chapel" of the Wawel Cathedral is one of the most notable pieces of architecture in Kraków. Built as a funerary chapel for the last Jagiellons, it has been hailed by many art historians as "the most beautiful example of the Tuscan Renaissance north of the Alps"...
in Krakow
Kraków
Kraków also Krakow, or Cracow , is the second largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in the Lesser Poland region, the city dates back to the 7th century. Kraków has traditionally been one of the leading centres of Polish academic, cultural, and artistic life...
’s Wawel Cathedral
Wawel Cathedral
The Wawel Cathedral, also known as the Cathedral Basilica of Sts. Stanisław and Vaclav, is a church located on Wawel Hill in Kraków–Poland's national sanctuary. It has a 1,000-year history and was the traditional coronation site of Polish monarchs. It is the Cathedral of the Archdiocese of Kraków...
. Among other interesting things, there are richly sculpted portals
Portal (architecture)
Portal is a general term describing an opening in the walls of a building, gate or fortification, and especially a grand entrance to an important structure. Doors, metal gates or portcullis in the opening can be used to control entry or exit. The surface surrounding the opening may be made of...
, loggia
Loggia
Loggia is the name given to an architectural feature, originally of Minoan design. They are often a gallery or corridor at ground level, sometimes higher, on the facade of a building and open to the air on one side, where it is supported by columns or pierced openings in the wall...
s, arcades
Arcade (architecture)
An arcade is a succession of arches, each counterthrusting the next, supported by columns or piers or a covered walk enclosed by a line of such arches on one or both sides. In warmer or wet climates, exterior arcades provide shelter for pedestrians....
, and unique wall decorations, sgraffito
Sgraffito
Sgraffito is a technique either of wall decor, produced by applying layers of plaster tinted in contrasting colors to a moistened surface, or in ceramics, by applying to an unfired ceramic body two successive layers of contrasting slip, and then in either case scratching so as to produce an...
, whose total area is about 7000 square meters. All works were overseen by Italian architects, and the details were completed by craftsmen from nearby Przemysl. The sgraffito depicted Roman emperors, Polish kings, members of the Krasicki family, hunting scenes, and saints of the Roman-Catholic Church. Unfortunately, most of the interior design has been destroyed, mostly by the Red Army
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army started out as the Soviet Union's revolutionary communist combat groups during the Russian Civil War of 1918-1922. It grew into the national army of the Soviet Union. By the 1930s the Red Army was among the largest armies in history.The "Red Army" name refers to...
soldiers, who were stationed there from October 1939 to June 1941 (see: Polish September Campaign, Operation Barbarossa
Operation Barbarossa
Operation Barbarossa was the code name for Germany's invasion of the Soviet Union during World War II that began on 22 June 1941. Over 4.5 million troops of the Axis powers invaded the USSR along a front., the largest invasion in the history of warfare...
).
Near the castle, there is a Swiss Pavilion, connected with Krasiczyn by a secret passage. Also, in the adjacent park, one will find a Hunter’s Pavilion, a villa in a hunter’s style. The park itself is abundant with birds and plants.
Owners of the castle
After Krasicki family had died out in late 17th century, the complex was inherited by Urszula Modrzewska. Then it belonged to several other families: Wojakowscy, Tarlowie (since 1724), Potoccy (since 1751), Pininscy (since 1785). Finally, in 1835, the castle was purchased by prince Leon SapiehaLeon Sapieha
Leon Sapieha was a Polish noble , politician and statesman.Leon was born and educated in Warsaw, and studied law and economic in Paris and Edinburgh from 1820 to 1824. He began to work in the administration in the Polish Kingdom...
, and his family owned the complex until 1944 (with the exception of the 1939 - 1941 Soviet occupation), when Communist government of Poland nationalized it. The Sapiehas invested a lot of money in the castle. They remodelled it, with help of architect Engerth from Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
, founded a sawmill, a brewery, and a small factory of farmers’ appliances. They actively promoted economic development of the whole area. On May 3, 1852, a great fire destroyed almost whole complex, except for the chapel, and it took several years to repair the damages. In 1867, one of the most important personalities of Polish Catholic Church, Cardinal Adam Stefan Sapieha
Adam Stefan Sapieha
Prince Adam Stefan Stanisław Bonifacy Józef Sapieha was a Polish cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church who served as Archbishop of Kraków. Between 1922–1923 he was a senator of the Second Rzeczpospolita. In 1946, Pope Pius XII created him Cardinal....
was born here.
Operation Barbarossa
Operation Barbarossa was the code name for Germany's invasion of the Soviet Union during World War II that began on 22 June 1941. Over 4.5 million troops of the Axis powers invaded the USSR along a front., the largest invasion in the history of warfare...
, Andrzej Sapieha returned to the castle, which had been used as barracks for soldiers of the Red Army (see Molotov Line
Molotov Line
The so-called Molotov Line was a system of border fortifications built by the Soviet Union in the years 1940–1941 along its new western borders. These borders where the result of the Occupation of the Baltic States, Eastern Poland and Bessarabia in 1940....
). This is his description: “On the floors there is garbage, old clothes, destroyed books. Walls full of Soviet propaganda posters, no furniture, instead of it, wooden beds everywhere. The chapel is completely ruined, all sculptures on the walls destroyed as high as the savages could have reached. Altars and pews destroyed. All three monuments have disappeared. The church in a terrible state, as it had been used as stables and a butcher shop. Metal coffins were used by the Bolsheviks as bathtubs”.
Currently
After World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, the Communist government nationalized the complex and set up a high school of forestry in the buildings. In the 1970s, the castle was owned by the automobile manufacturer from Warsaw
Warsaw
Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
. After collapse of the Communist system, the castle found a new owner, Warsaw’s Industrial Development Agency (Agencja Rozwoju Przemyslu S.A.), which has carried out extensive renovation of the complex. As a result, in 2000, Krasiczyn was added to the association of hotels and restaurants located in historic buildings (European Castle Hotels & Restaurants).