Admiring the Lewkow palace today, it is hard to believe that only a few years ago this classicist monument was a mere shadow of its former grandeur. Comprehensive renovation of the mansion was completed in 2022, and the building once again impresses with its detailed architecture. It has also been given a new function as a museum, educational centre and meeting place with history.
Lewków Palace – an architectural rarity
The Lew Lewków Palace was built in 1788-1791 as the ancestral seat of Wojciech Lipski and his wife Salomea née Objezierska. It was designed by Jan Christian Kamsetzer, court architect to King Stanisław August Poniatowski himself and one of the most eminent creators of Polish classicism. To this day, the architect’s “royal hand” can be seen here, manifested through the regularity of the composition and the sense of proportion. Above the entrance to the palace is a triangular pediment with the founder’s personal message: “To oneself, to oneself, to friends, to posterity”. The garden side bears the symbolic date 1791 – the year in which the construction was completed and the 3rd May Constitution was passed.
A residence with a soul
The Lewkowski palace was home to six generations of the Lipsky family of the Grabie coat of arms. The family, although belonging to the middle-class landed gentry, actively participated in the social and political life of the region. The Lipski family was involved in uprisings, supported underground activities, and above all, carried out organic work: they established libraries, orphanages, popularised modern farming methods and educated the surrounding population. The house was not just a representative residence. Its layout was also conducive to everyday, comfortable living. The ground floor, the so-called piano nobile, served an official function, while the residential floor housed the family’s private flats. The entire estate was surrounded by an extensive English-style park and farm buildings.
Lost glamour
The end of the magnificent residence came with 1939. During the war it was occupied by the German army and then by the Red Army. Lack of proper care led to the devastation of the park, while the interiors were looted. After 1945, the estate passed into state ownership, to be used as communal housing, warehouses, a day care centre or even a municipal office. Teresa Fudakowska, daughter of the last owner Jan Lipski, recalled the devastation: “The Levkov Park was devastated first by the conquered herds of cows driven by the Russians just after the war eastwards from the German lands. Then a school was built on the tennis ground. Several private houses and a health centre were built in the part of the park behind the church and the security guard.Many trees and the beautiful oak trees behind the church were cut down.“
The palace in Levkov in a new way
Decades of neglect have brought the palace in Levkov to an alarming state. The conservation and construction work managed to start in 2018 and lasted four years. It was the largest investment project in the history of the Leszno District Museum, which is in charge of the palace. The works cost more than PLN 26 million, most of which was covered by EU funds and the provincial budget.
“Before the renovation, the palace in Lewkowo was a neglected building. Unfortunately, over the years its condition had deteriorated and many structural elements required urgent intervention, which discouraged people from visiting it,” – says Sylwia Nowicka, director of the facility. According to her, the most difficult thing was to combine the function of the museum with modern technical requirements.
The palace in Lewkowo before and after the renovation. Photo: Kanciata, CC BY-SA 3.0 PL, via Wikimedia Commons and Museum in Lewków
Scope of renovation work
As part of the extensive works, the former spatial layout of the palace was restored: the representative piano nobile, the private flats and the usable cellars. Particular attention was paid to the amphitheatre axis, characteristic of classicist residences. The entire structure was also strengthened, the foundations were secured and care was taken to drain rainwater. The renovation also included priceless polychrome paintings. Wall paintings were discovered and restored, the most valuable of which adorn the Egyptian Hall. Meticulous restoration work was carried out on the original doors, staircase and tiled cookers. Missing elements, such as fireplaces and panelling, were reconstructed on the basis of iconographic sources. New technical systems were installed to make the palace fully usable and safe. The ground floor of the building was used for a permanent exhibition, the first floor for education and workshops, and the basement for catering. In the surroundings of the mansion, the orangery was also rebuilt and now serves as an event hall. In the park, meanwhile, the historic layout of the greenery was restored, the alleys, the stables and the ice house were renovated. The palace annexes were adapted for hotel and technical purposes.
Saving a monument appreciated
The work carried out was a model example of the revitalisation of a palace and park with respect for history and giving it a new function. Already in the first year, Lewków was visited by more than 20,000 people. The palace was also the winner of the nationwide Zabytek Zadbany 2024 competition, the only building from Wielkopolska awarded in last year’s edition and one of only eight awarded in the whole country. The competition is organised by the Minister of Culture and National Heritage and the General Conservator of Monuments.
Source: Museum in Lewkowo
Read also: Monument | Renovation | Palace | Architecture in Poland | Villas and residences
