Before 1945, the palace in Juchów was one of the finest and most impressive residences in Pomerania. The brick structure, with its two soaring towers, resembled a romantic castle, whilst its interiors were filled with stately drawing rooms and a rich library. In the 1980s, the decline of the entire former von Kleist estate began, resulting in it falling into ruin. Work, which began in 2025, is intended to halt the further deterioration of this 19th-century historic building and save its most valuable parts.
The von Kleists built the palace in Juchów
The history of the Juchowo estate dates back to the 16th century. Juchowo (German: Juchow) was founded in 1570 by the brothers Asmus and Alexander von Kleist, and their family’s first residence was built before 1580. In the 18th century, it was replaced by a two-winged manor house on an L-shaped plan. The building acquired its present form between 1864 and 1874 on the initiative of Ida Seydewitz von Kleist, wife of Wilhelm Johann Konrad von Kleist. As part of the modernisation of the residence, tall wings were added to the older section, creating a U-shaped palace with a grand approach from the south. The name of the architect responsible for this major reconstruction has not been preserved in any sources.
The palace resembled a Romantic castle
The eclectic building was constructed of red brick on massive stone foundations. A distinctive feature of the residence was its façade, with two slender towers, decorative cornices, arcades and ornate window frames. The building covered an area of around 1,000 square metres! Inside, there was a dining room, a hunting lounge, a conservatory and a drawing room with a podium for the orchestra. The owners took great pride in their extensive library, whose collection was second only in the area to that of the Szczecinek grammar school. The von Kleist Palace was surrounded by a vast landscape park attributed to Prince Hermann von Pückler-Muskau, one of the most important European garden designers of the 19th century.
The Dennigs expanded the Palace in Juchów
In 1874, the estate was purchased by the Dennig family from Pforzheim, who expanded the farm, modernised the distillery and built a sawmill. At the height of its prosperity, the estate employed around 140 people and covered over 2,300 hectares. Hundreds of cows and pigs were reared here, whilst the production of spirit provided an additional source of income. In 1930, a tragic fire broke out in the manor house, destroying the east wing, which was later rebuilt in a modified form. During the Second World War, the manor house was occupied by German refugees and soldiers from nearby Groß Born. The building survived these difficult times unscathed, but in 1945 the Dennigs fled to Germany to escape the advancing front, and the abandoned estate was taken over by the state. Subsequently, it housed, in turn, a prison, a school and a nursery, whilst the entire extensive estate was placed under the control of the local state-run agricultural collective farm (PGR).
The historic building was looted and abandoned
The palace had new owners, thanks to whom it did not fall into ruin. Unfortunately, in the 1980s, the situation changed and the building was abandoned, left to the mercy of fate. Local looters stole steel, timber, bricks and other materials that could be used for nearby renovation or construction projects. Over time, the roofs, ceilings, joinery and fittings disappeared, whilst the walls began to be overgrown by wild vegetation. On the former palace courtyard, the State Agricultural Enterprise (PGR) erected blocks of flats, destroying the residence’s original surroundings. The private owner who took over the property in the 1990s failed to halt its progressive deterioration. Around 2016, the property was returned to the State Treasury, and since 2019 it has been managed by the Szczecinek County Office. In August 2024, the ruins were entered in the register of historic monuments, which made it easier to secure funding for their restoration.
The restoration of the ruins of Juchowo Palace
The first phase of the works, costing nearly 980,000 zlotys, began in the summer of 2025. A consortium comprising LB Karolina Rusiniak and Expance Sławomir Czapiewski from Piła is responsible for the project. The contractor has already removed self-sown vegetation, cleared the courtyard, stabilised the foundations and reinforced the walls with steel supports. The condition of the palace proved to be worse than earlier expert reports had indicated, which is why the work focused on the central section with the towers and the left wing. The most severely damaged sections required demolition. In February 2026, the basic emergency restoration work was completed. The district is now seeking funding for the next stages of the work, including the reconstruction of the turrets, the illumination of the ruins, a new fence and the creation of a safe route for visitors.
Source: szczecinek.naszemiasto.pl, polskiezabytki.pl
See also:Historic monument|Restoration|Palace|Architecture in Poland|Villas and mansions
