Dolsko Palace is a unique and beautiful estate in the English Neo-Gothic style, but little is said about it. It was raised from total ruin by the Foundation Palace in Dolsk-Stiftung Schloss Dölzig, putting in a colossal amount of work since the mid-1990s. Not so long ago, the palace had no roofs, no ceilings and not much of a wall. Today it looks almost as dignified as it did in its best days. The little Sanssouci – as the palace was formerly called – once again impresses with its reconstructed façade and richly decorated interiors.
The palace was first mentioned in 1713, when Dolsk was owned by Friedrich W. von der Marwitz. The palace was probably built on the site of an old knight’s tower. It was rebuilt and extended several times in the 18th and 19th centuries. The reconstruction completed in 1828 on the initiative of Karl von Tresckow, largely shaped the present appearance of the building. Subsequent reconstructions in 1845 and 1889 applied Neo-Gothic forms and Baroque motifs. The design of the three-tiered palace with a large terrace and a wealth of decorative sandstone elements was created by Karl Friedrich Schinkel. In its heyday, it became known as the little Sanssouci, in reference to the magnificent Hohenzollern palace in Potsdam.
Dolsko Palace on a postcard from 1933. Source: Dolsko Palace Foundation -Stiftung Schloss Dölzig
An English-style park was laid out all around. In the middle of the 19th century the establishment consisted of a palace with a landscape ornamental park, a utility and ornamental garden, a forest park with a small water reservoir and a mill pond at the western boundary of the park. On the side of the village road, the garden areas were enclosed by a high brick wall. In the western part of the complex was the family mausoleum of the von Treskow family. Today, the elements of the spatial composition have been considerably lost. Many oak trees aged 150-250 years, pedunculate elm trees aged 100-150 years and plane, ash, hornbeam and beech trees are now natural monuments.
The palace in its heyday and its ruins. Source: Schloss Dölzig Palace Foundation
It was taken over by the Third Reich authorities in 1933 and was then used as a school, a cinema, a community centre and a headquarters for the Hufflepuff. From January 1945 it was used as a Soviet lazaret, then flats for supply officers were arranged there, and in the 1960s the palace was partly used as a grain warehouse. After the 1967 fire, the abandoned and systematically looted building fell into disrepair.
Ruins of the palace and the building during reconstruction. Source: Foundation Palace in Dolsk -Stiftung Schloss Dölzig
The palace was purchased in 1993 by Krzysztof Mudzo, a Berlin-based entrepreneur of Polish origin. At first, the interiors were cleared of rubble and the endangered walls were secured. In 2002, reconstruction of the perimeter and load-bearing walls began. In 2008, the vaults in the cellars and the walls were rebuilt up to the height of the first floor. A year later, the stairs and attic ceilings were made. In 2011, the building was roofed and utilities were connected. In 2022, the renovation of the façade was completed, and shortly afterwards the reconstruction of the wooden porch on the main axis of the palace was finished. Photographs and salvaged relics were very helpful during the reconstruction. In many places, however, completely new detailing was designed, maintaining the style characteristic of the palace and this period in history.
The ruined and rebuilt mansion. Source: Schloss Dölzig Palace Foundation
The Dolsk palace was not without reason given its name. In its heyday, it was stunning in its beauty, and thanks to the enormous amount of work, money and great passion of its owner, today it is once again the pearl of western Poland. For rescuing the monument, Krzysztof Mudzo was awarded the silver badge of the Minister of Culture and National Heritage in 2013.
Source: rekonstrukcjeiodbudowy.pl, Fundacja Pałac w Dolsku -Stiftung Schloss Dölzig, bikes.wzp.pl
Photos: Foundation Palace in Dolsk -Stiftung Schloss Dölzig
Read also: Architecture | Renovation | Palace | Architecture in Poland | Villas and residences
