Lelewel Palace
Encyclopedia
Lelewel Palace was a rococo
palace on the Miodowa Street
in the Warsaw Old Town
, which was also unofficially named "Palace Street" (ulica Pałacowa) because of its gorgeous palaces. Lelewel Palace was built in 1755 by Efraim Szreger on an estate documented to have been property of King John III Sobieski
and maintaining the original Corps de logis
. The client and owner until 1787 was Constance Lelewel née Jauch
.
, that occupied the allotment was burned by Swedish and Brandenburg
ian forces during the Deluge. In 1662 it was replaced by another timber mansion of Stanisław Razicki, king's secretary. The more permanent brick palace was erected between 1739-1740 for Aleksander Szembek, voivode of Sieradz
. It was constructed as a French-style city palace
with two outbuildings and a geometric garden
. In about 1755 the palace was enlarged for the subsequent proprietor Swedish-Prussia
n aristocrat
Heinrich Lölhöffel von Löwensprung (1705-1763), but of the planned two new wings only the northern was built. The new wing, connected with existing outbuilding and a neighbouring tenement house, become the main building of the palace - inhabited corps de logis
.
The real initiator of the reconstruction was Constance Jauch (1722–1802), the daughter of major general Joachim Daniel von Jauch
(1668–1745). In 1741 she married Heinrich Lölhöffel, privy councillor (Hofrat) and physician to the King Augustus III of Poland
.
After the death of her father, who had been German architect in attendance to King Augustus II the Strong
and his son Augustus III, and had supervised the baroque development of the city of Warsaw, she inherited a considerable fortune. Efraim Szreger had been an assistant to him, presumably the reason why he was chosen as architect. Constance Lelewel bought the former property of the voivode Franciszek Szembek at the corner of Miodowa and Długa Street in 1752, and in 1755 commissioned Szreger to build the Lelewel Palace in the Miodowa. It is documented in contemporary maps that the estate had belonged to King John III Sobieski
, but this is questioned by some authors for stylistic reasons regarding the original construction. After the early death of her husband, in 1763, Constance lived in the palace until 1787, when she sold it to a rich merchant Henryk Jarzewicz. Jarzewicz enlarged and rebuilt the complex in neoclassical style
according to design by Szymon Bogumił Zug. Between 1850-1851 the separate buildings of the complex were merged and rebuilt for Lesser family. In the 19th century the original corps de logis, so-called Szembek Mansion, was pulled down and during the World War II
the whole complex was completely destroyed by the Germans.
which was known to him by the books of Pierre-Jean Mariette
(1727 and 1738) and Jacques-François Blondel
(1752). The drawings of the exterior and the interior are well-preserved. For the staircase he designed wall paintings which differ only in marginal details from the wall paintings in the staircase of the Appartement des Princes in the Palace of Versailles
which will have been well known in Poland through engravings in the third volume of 1738 of Mariette's L'Architecture française. The left wing of the ensemble was added by the architect Szymon Bogumił Zug after Constance Jauch had sold the estate.
The construction is relevant for the history of architecture in Poland
because it shows the influence of the baroque style of the Saxon building authority for which Szreger was working until he emerged as the most important exponent of neoclassical architecture
in Poland.
Rococo
Rococo , also referred to as "Late Baroque", is an 18th-century style which developed as Baroque artists gave up their symmetry and became increasingly ornate, florid, and playful...
palace on the Miodowa Street
Miodowa
Miodowa is a street in Warsaw's Old Town. More precisely, it links the Freta Street in the New Town, with the Krasiński Square. It is also a street in the Kazimierz district in Kraków.-History:...
in the Warsaw Old Town
Warsaw Old Town
Warsaw's Old Town is the oldest historic district of the city. It is bounded by Wybrzeże Gdańskie, along the bank of the Vistula, and by Grodzka, Mostowa and Podwale Streets. It is one of Warsaw's most prominent tourist attractions....
, which was also unofficially named "Palace Street" (ulica Pałacowa) because of its gorgeous palaces. Lelewel Palace was built in 1755 by Efraim Szreger on an estate documented to have been property of King John III Sobieski
John III Sobieski
John III Sobieski was one of the most notable monarchs of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, from 1674 until his death King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania. Sobieski's 22-year-reign was marked by a period of the Commonwealth's stabilization, much needed after the turmoil of the Deluge and...
and maintaining the original Corps de logis
Corps de logis
Corps de logis is the architectural term which refers to the principal block of a large, usually classical, mansion or palace. It contains the principal rooms, state apartments and an entry. The grandest and finest rooms are often on the first floor above the ground level: this floor is the...
. The client and owner until 1787 was Constance Lelewel née Jauch
Jauch family
The Jauch family of Germany is a Hanseatic family, originating from Bergsulza in Thuringia and for the first time documented in the 15th century...
.
History
The original timber manor house of Krzysztof Gembicki, Grand Pantler of the CrownStolnik
Stolnik was a court office in Poland and Muscovy, responsible for serving the royal table.- Stolnik in Crown of Poland and Grand Duchy of Lithuania : In Crown of Poland under the first Piast dukes and kings, this was a court office....
, that occupied the allotment was burned by Swedish and Brandenburg
Brandenburg
Brandenburg is one of the sixteen federal-states of Germany. It lies in the east of the country and is one of the new federal states that were re-created in 1990 upon the reunification of the former West Germany and East Germany. The capital is Potsdam...
ian forces during the Deluge. In 1662 it was replaced by another timber mansion of Stanisław Razicki, king's secretary. The more permanent brick palace was erected between 1739-1740 for Aleksander Szembek, voivode of Sieradz
Sieradz Voivodeship (1339–1793)
Sieradz Voivodeship was a unit of administrative division and local government in Poland from 1339 to the Second partition of Poland in 1793. It was a part of the Greater Polish prowincja.Governor seat:* SieradzVoivodes:* Kasper Doenhoff...
. It was constructed as a French-style city palace
Hôtel particulier
In French contexts an hôtel particulier is an urban "private house" of a grand sort. Whereas an ordinary maison was built as part of a row, sharing party walls with the houses on either side and directly fronting on a street, an hôtel particulier was often free-standing, and by the 18th century it...
with two outbuildings and a geometric garden
Garden à la française
The French formal garden, also called jardin à la française, is a style of garden based on symmetry and the principle of imposing order over nature. It reached its apogee in the 17th century with the creation of the Gardens of Versailles, designed for Louis XIV by the landscape architect André Le...
. In about 1755 the palace was enlarged for the subsequent proprietor Swedish-Prussia
Prussia
Prussia was a German kingdom and historic state originating out of the Duchy of Prussia and the Margraviate of Brandenburg. For centuries, the House of Hohenzollern ruled Prussia, successfully expanding its size by way of an unusually well-organized and effective army. Prussia shaped the history...
n aristocrat
Aristocracy (class)
The aristocracy are people considered to be in the highest social class in a society which has or once had a political system of Aristocracy. Aristocrats possess hereditary titles granted by a monarch, which once granted them feudal or legal privileges, or deriving, as in Ancient Greece and India,...
Heinrich Lölhöffel von Löwensprung (1705-1763), but of the planned two new wings only the northern was built. The new wing, connected with existing outbuilding and a neighbouring tenement house, become the main building of the palace - inhabited corps de logis
Corps de logis
Corps de logis is the architectural term which refers to the principal block of a large, usually classical, mansion or palace. It contains the principal rooms, state apartments and an entry. The grandest and finest rooms are often on the first floor above the ground level: this floor is the...
.
Joachim Daniel von Jauch
Joachim Daniel von Jauch was a German architect who supervised the baroque development of the city of Warsaw.-Early life and work:...
(1668–1745). In 1741 she married Heinrich Lölhöffel, privy councillor (Hofrat) and physician to the King Augustus III of Poland
Augustus III of Poland
Augustus III, known as the Saxon ; ; also Prince-elector Friedrich August II was the Elector of Saxony in 1733-1763, as Frederick Augustus II , King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania in 1734-1763.-Biography:Augustus was the only legitimate son of Augustus II the Strong, Imperial Prince-Elector...
.
After the death of her father, who had been German architect in attendance to King 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 ....
and his son Augustus III, and had supervised the baroque development of the city of Warsaw, she inherited a considerable fortune. Efraim Szreger had been an assistant to him, presumably the reason why he was chosen as architect. Constance Lelewel bought the former property of the voivode Franciszek Szembek at the corner of Miodowa and Długa Street in 1752, and in 1755 commissioned Szreger to build the Lelewel Palace in the Miodowa. It is documented in contemporary maps that the estate had belonged to King John III Sobieski
John III Sobieski
John III Sobieski was one of the most notable monarchs of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, from 1674 until his death King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania. Sobieski's 22-year-reign was marked by a period of the Commonwealth's stabilization, much needed after the turmoil of the Deluge and...
, but this is questioned by some authors for stylistic reasons regarding the original construction. After the early death of her husband, in 1763, Constance lived in the palace until 1787, when she sold it to a rich merchant Henryk Jarzewicz. Jarzewicz enlarged and rebuilt the complex in neoclassical style
Neoclassical architecture
Neoclassical architecture was an architectural style produced by the neoclassical movement that began in the mid-18th century, manifested both in its details as a reaction against the Rococo style of naturalistic ornament, and in its architectural formulas as an outgrowth of some classicizing...
according to design by Szymon Bogumił Zug. Between 1850-1851 the separate buildings of the complex were merged and rebuilt for Lesser family. In the 19th century the original corps de logis, so-called Szembek Mansion, was pulled down and during the World War II
World 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 whole complex was completely destroyed by the Germans.
Architecture
Szreger kept the original corps de logis (Szembek Mansion), and adjoined the front building and the side wings modelling the ensemble on the French Hôtel particulierHôtel particulier
In French contexts an hôtel particulier is an urban "private house" of a grand sort. Whereas an ordinary maison was built as part of a row, sharing party walls with the houses on either side and directly fronting on a street, an hôtel particulier was often free-standing, and by the 18th century it...
which was known to him by the books of Pierre-Jean Mariette
Pierre-Jean Mariette
Pierre-Jean Mariette was a collector of and dealer in old master prints, a renowned connoisseur, especially of prints and drawings, and a chronicler of the careers of French Italian and Flemish artists...
(1727 and 1738) and Jacques-François Blondel
Jacques-François Blondel
Jacques-François Blondel was a French architect. He was the grandson of François Blondel , whose course of architecture had appeared in four volumes in 1683 -Biography:...
(1752). The drawings of the exterior and the interior are well-preserved. For the staircase he designed wall paintings which differ only in marginal details from the wall paintings in the staircase of the Appartement des Princes in the Palace of Versailles
Palace of Versailles
The Palace of Versailles , or simply Versailles, is a royal château in Versailles in the Île-de-France region of France. In French it is the Château de Versailles....
which will have been well known in Poland through engravings in the third volume of 1738 of Mariette's L'Architecture française. The left wing of the ensemble was added by the architect Szymon Bogumił Zug after Constance Jauch had sold the estate.
The construction is relevant for the history of architecture in 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...
because it shows the influence of the baroque style of the Saxon building authority for which Szreger was working until he emerged as the most important exponent of neoclassical architecture
Neoclassical architecture
Neoclassical architecture was an architectural style produced by the neoclassical movement that began in the mid-18th century, manifested both in its details as a reaction against the Rococo style of naturalistic ornament, and in its architectural formulas as an outgrowth of some classicizing...
in Poland.
Literature
- Walter Hentschel: Die sächsische Baukunst des 18. Jahrhunderts in Polen, textbook, Berlin 1967, p. 425ff; illustrated book, Berlin 1967, pictures 578ff
- Stanislaw Lorentz: Der Architekt der Visitinerinnen in den Jahren 1754-1762 (Polish: Architekt P.P. Wizytek z lat 1754-1762), in: Biuletyn Historii Sztuki 21, 1959, p. 376-383