Świniarach
Fot.: Komenda Miejska PSP we Wrocławiu

Wrocław: the neo-Gothic palace of the Stolberg family in Swinyary has burned down. The building had been a derelict for years

Last night, the neo-Gothic palace of the Stolberg family in Świniary, Wrocław, burned down. The building was erected in the mid-19th century. Recent years have been by far the worst period in the history of the estate. It stood abandoned and deteriorated, exposed to the weather and vandals. Its fate was sealed by a tragic fire that engulfed the wooden structural elements of the interior and the roof. The firefighting operation lasted all night and ended at around 6.00am.

The palace, in the Florentine Neo-Gothic style, was built in 1845, on the site of a former medieval fortress. Its founder was Count Bernhard Joseph von Stolberg-Stolberg (1803-1859), son of Friedrich Leopold zu Stolberg and Sophie Charlotte Eleonore von Redern. The design of the U-plan residence was made by Ferdinand Fleischinger. The building had three wings and the same number of storeys, as well as two massive towers topped with a crenellation and a flat roof. In later years, the next owner of the palace, Count Arthur von Henckel-Donnersmarck (1836-1921), added another floor to the west wing, maintaining the style of the building.

The palace at the beginning of the 20th century. Source: Lower Silesian Digital Library

Zobacz

In 1895, the palace was purchased by the magistrate of Wrocław and adapted as a convalescent centre. The entire palace and park complex consisted of 3.5 hectares. After the Second World War, the estate was transformed into a State Agricultural Farm and employees were accommodated in the palace. In 2020, the property, together with the entire palace and park complex of 3.5 hectares, was put up for sale for an asking price of PLN 4,696,000. It seemed to be a chance for a new life for the abandoned and devastated estate.

Świniarach
Photo: Wrocław City Fire Brigade

On Sunday, 16 June 2024, at 20.36, the duty officer of the State Fire Service in Wrocław received a report of a fire in a palace in Świniary. Eight fire brigades arrived on the scene. The fire spread very quickly and engulfed the wooden ceilings, roof, woodwork and other elements inside the historic Stolberg residence. The balance of the damage is enormous.

The causes of the tragedy are currently unknown.

Source: wroclaw.pl

Read also: Architecture in Poland | Palace | History | Wrocław | whiteMAD on Instagram