In Dowspuda, in the Suwałki region, the ruins of a mansion considered to be the finest example of English Neo-Gothic architecture in Poland have stood for over 200 years. A private investor is currently planning to rebuild Ludwik Michał Pac’s palace and transform it into a luxury hotel. The cost of this ambitious project is estimated at around €50 million.
English Neo-Gothic in the Podlaskie Voivodeship
The history of the palace began in the 1820s. The initiator of its construction was Count Ludwik Michał Pac, who inherited vast estates at the age of nineteen. Fascinated by English country houses, he decided to build his own residence, giving it features unseen on Polish soil. To carry out the entire project, the young heir invited the Italian architect Pietro Bosio, and later Henryk Marconi. After several years of work, a palace in Dowspuda emerged, representing a pure form of English Neo-Gothic architecture. The building captivated with its soaring height, rich decorations and impressive scale.
The palace in Dowspuda and its interiors
The Pac residence ranked among the most magnificent estates of the Polish aristocracy. The ground floor housed state rooms, a library, a chapel and a dining room adorned with stucco work. The interiors were filled with works of art, polychromes, frescoes and sculptures. The side wings, meanwhile, housed a collection of military artefacts and a picture gallery. The palace was a symbol of its owner’s prestige, and its furnishings were among the most valuable private collections in the region.
The decline of a grand residence
The fate of the flourishing palace was sealed by the events following the November Uprising. For his participation in the uprising, Ludwik Pac was punished by the tsarist authorities in 1831 with the loss of his entire estate. Dowspuda then passed into the hands of successive owners, but they were unable to maintain such a costly residence. The palace’s final tragedy came in the mid-19th century, when the last tenant began demolishing the building. He sold the bricks obtained in this way for the construction of barracks in Suwałki. Although the work was halted, the abandoned and unsecured walls quickly fell into disrepair. This is how most of the walls, decorations and furnishings were irretrievably lost. Only the foundations, cellars, the restored arcaded portico and the corner ‘stork’s tower’, which is part of the main building, have survived to the present day. The palace in Dowspuda is widely known not only to historians. It is most often associated with the famous saying “Wart Pac the palace, and the palace Pac”, which has become a permanent part of the Polish language.
The Palace in Dowspuda and its remains
At the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, a modest house for the Karcow family was built on part of the old foundations. The building subsequently served various purposes, including use by the military during the German occupation and as a school for local children; later, a holiday centre was opened there and staff accommodation was provided. The building survived until the 1990s but was eventually demolished. However, a vast park with valuable species of coniferous and deciduous trees has been preserved amidst the ruins. The neo-Gothic gatehouse by the lime tree avenue leading to the palace also still stands. Renovated in 2015, it now serves as a hotel and a venue for cultural events.
The palace in Dowspuda: a €50 million restoration
In 2016, the ruins, together with a 21-hectare plot, were sold by Suwałki County to a private investor. The Dowspuda estate was purchased by Krzysztof Szadurski, a Warsaw-based hotelier and vice-president of the Polish Chamber of Commerce for the Hotel Industry, with the intention of restoring Ludwik Pac’s historic residence. The Podlasie Provincial Conservator of Monuments granted permission for this and agreed to the idea of converting the building into an exclusive hotel. The renovated building is to house around 50 rooms, a restaurant, a banquet and conference hall, a chapel, exhibition spaces, and therapeutic and recreational facilities. The preserved relics of the palace will, of course, be utilised during the reconstruction. Despite the approvals obtained, however, the main works have not yet begun. For the time being, the developer has not specified a start or completion date for the project, whilst continuing to uphold the intention to restore Dowspuda’s neo-Gothic gem.
Source: onet.pl, suwalki.naszemiasto.pl
See also: Historic building| Renovation | Palace|Architecture in Poland | Villas and mansions
