Kamieniec Ząbkowicki Palace

Marianne was the daughter of King William I of the Netherlands, who had been exiled by Napoleon and settled in Prussia. At the age of 20, Marianne married Albert of Prussia, the youngest son of Frederick William III. Although they had five children, historians do not consider their marriage a success. Marianne was incompatible with the strict ceremonial of the Prussian court, and her intelligence and sophistication surpassed her husband, who was increasingly unfaithful. Furthermore, Marianne herself allegedly embarked on an affair with the stablemaster Johann von Rossum, with whom she was expecting a child, leading to a scandalous divorce.

The courts in The Hague and Berlin severed ties with Marianne, forbidding her contact with her children and forbidding her from staying in Prussia for more than 24 hours, with mandatory registration upon each entry and exit. She was also punished with infamy, which meant the princess lost her honor and good name. Despite this, in 1853, Marianna came to Kamieniec and decided to resume construction. She passed the palace under construction to her son, Frederick William Albrecht, and purchased an estate in Bila Voda, 12 kilometers away, allowing her to frequently visit the residence and supervise the work.

Marianna was often called the “Good Lady” because she supported the poorest residents of the towns within her borders. She initiated the construction of local roads, promoted modern cattle and fish farming, and promoted the development of the metallurgical and stonemasonry industries. The Kamieniec Ząbkowicki Palace is the most spectacular example of her work.

In 1945, Marianna’s descendants abandoned the palace due to the approaching Red Army. A year later, the building was destroyed by fire, and the residence began to fall into disrepair. The following decade saw further devastation. In 1986, the building was leased, but in 2012, following the lessee’s death, it returned to the Kamieniec Ząbkowicki commune. Extensive security, renovation, and restoration work have restored the Kamieniec Ząbkowicki Palace to its former glory, and it is now considered an architectural gem on a European scale.

A must-see for visitors is a stroll through the extensive gardens surrounding the site. The green spaces, once 220 hectares in size (today reduced to just 160 hectares), have been designed with a character reminiscent of English-style parks. Numerous orangeries, fountains, and paths were built within the park. Only a fraction of its former glory has survived to this day, but this is enough to capture the atmosphere of those times. You can also find an ancient forest stand here, with unique trees that are now classified as natural monuments. Plantings carried out in previous centuries were very diverse, resulting in species such as English oak, red oak, common beech, Eastern white pine, small-leaved lime, common yew, common hornbeam, common ash, sycamore maple, field maple, Norway maple, Scots pine, and western arborvitae. The most recognizable tree in the park is the Jan Oak, with an impressive circumference of 525 cm. The park offers three walking trails of varying distances: a 1.6 km blue trail, a 2.43 km yellow trail, and a 3.94 km green trail. They run around the palace complex and within the landscape park.

Want to see this place for yourself? Check out a comfortable hotel in the area.