The Tarłów Palace in Podzamcze Piekoszowskie has stood in ruins for over 200 years. Once a magnificent residence in the Świętokrzyskie region, today it intrigues with its massive structure, stripped of roofs, windows, doors and most of its ceilings. Architect Michał Szymankiewicz has decided to breathe new life into this ruined monument once again, using tools based on artificial intelligence. Thanks to his dedication, we can see what this magnificent 17th-century estate might look like today.
Digital reconstruction of the former residence
Michał Szymankiewicz has produced a series of visualisations that recreate the probable appearance of the palace prior to its gradual decline. He had previously created similar images for Krzyżtopór Castle, which we wrote about HERE. This time, the architect’s work focused on the structure, façades, roof and surroundings of the Tarłów residence. The author drew on available studies, combining them with the capabilities of modern AI-based tools. The result is an original interpretation which does not claim to be a 100% accurate reconstruction, but rather a variation on the possible appearance of the building in its original form.
The Tarło Palace in Podzamcze Piekoszowskie
The palace’s construction is linked to Jan Aleksander Tarła, Voivode of Lublin and a member of the influential Topór family. Construction is dated to the mid-17th century, most likely between 1645 and 1655, and the designer was probably Tomasz Poncino. He was an Italian architect working in Poland, the creator of, amongst others, the palace of the Bishops of Kraków in Kielce. Tradition holds an anecdote about a dispute with the Bishop of Kraków, Jakub Zadzik, who is said to have refused to visit Tarła. The magnate’s response to this slight was reportedly to erect a residence rivalling the clergy’s palace in Kielce. The credibility of this story is highly questionable, but this does not diminish its popularity in popular accounts.
Architecture and layout of the 17th-century residence
The residence was built on a small hill once surrounded by marshes and ponds. The two-storey main building featured four hexagonal corner towers, which served a representative function. The interior layout, however, was symmetrical, with a wide hall on the ground floor and an impressive room on the first floor. The main façade was distinguished by a nine-axis division and an arcaded loggia on the ground floor. Limestone and brick were used in the construction of the palace, whilst the decorative details were made of sandstone. The whole complex was surrounded by a magnificent garden.
The palace fire: the beginning of the end for the historic building
After the founder’s death, the estate passed into the hands of successive members of the Tarło family, and subsequently to other owners. Among them were, for example, Florian Andrzej Tarło, a captain in the national cavalry, and later heirs associated with the Sosnowski family. By the 19th century, the building was already in a poor state of repair, as confirmed by contemporary accounts noting a leaky roof and partially abandoned interiors. A fire in the late 1850s completed the destruction. The blaze consumed the roof and a significant portion of the interiors, greatly accelerating the overall deterioration of the Baroque residence. Subsequent changes of ownership did not favour reconstruction, so the building gradually lost its residential function until it was finally completely abandoned.
Tarłów Palace – the decline
Left unattended, the palace continued to deteriorate, now not only due to the elements but also because of looters. They stole its architectural decorations and finishing elements to install them in other buildings in the area, including churches and country houses. In the 20th century, attempts were made to secure the ruins, partly thanks to the efforts of architect Romuald Kozłowski, who carried out a partial renovation and secured parts of the ground floor with a temporary roof. After his death, the initiative to save the palace’s remains found no successor. In the 1950s and 1960s, conservation work on the building resumed, albeit on a limited scale. Nevertheless, the work carried out helped to preserve part of the walls along with the surviving details
Current state and visualisations by Michał Szymankiewicz
To this day, a substantial ruin has survived, with a clear spatial layout and fragments of decoration, including stone window and door frames and cornices. In recent years, ownership issues have been resolved, paving the way for further work on the site, such as securing the walls and tidying up the grounds. In this context, Michał Szymankiewicz’s visualisations allow us to imagine the former scale and form of the residence, whilst also serving as a tool for raising awareness of the monument, whose original appearance is now somewhat less of a mystery.
Source:zamkipolskie.com
Visualisations: architect Michał Szymankiewicz
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Tarłów Palace today and in visualisations. Source: zamkipolskie.com and architect Michał Szymankiewicz
