Palace in Antonin: A Wooden Hunting Palace and Music Venue in Poland
Site at a Glance
- Rating
- 4.7
- Popularity
- Medium
- Country
- Poland
- Primary era
- Modern
- External website
- Open
- Eras represented
- Modern
- Civilizations
- Kingdom of Prussia
- Site type
- Domestic
- Remains
- Elite Residence
On this page11 sections
History
Palace in Antonin is a wooden hunting palace in Poland, commissioned by Prince Antoni Henryk Radziwiłł and designed by the Berlin architect Karl Friedrich Schinkel. Construction began in the early 1820s and was completed in 1824 in woodland near Przygodzice. The Radziwiłłs were a prominent aristocratic family of the former Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, whose members held important political, military, and cultural positions.
Aristocratic retreat and musical life
Until 1918, the area formed part of the Kingdom of Prussia, established after the partitions of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. From its foundation, the palace served both as a retreat for aristocratic hunters and as a venue for concerts. Antoni Henryk Radziwiłł was a cellist and composer, and he hosted Frédéric Chopin at Antonin in 1827 and 1829. During those visits, Chopin gave lessons to one of Radziwiłł’s daughters.
Ownership and restoration
In 1939, a later owner, Prince Michał Radziwiłł, presented the palace complex to Adolf Hitler. It remained Hitler’s property until 1944. After the Second World War, the palace became part of the Polish People’s Republic and was nationalized. The complex then stood abandoned until 1974, after which it accommodated various cultural institutions.
Repairs undertaken between 1975 and 1978 were promoted by the journalist and music critic Jerzy Waldorff, and a small concert hall was installed in the main building. A major restoration was completed by 1994 and received a Europa Nostra ’94 award. Europa Nostra is a European heritage organization that promotes the preservation of historic monuments and cultural landscapes. The palace now belongs to the Kalisz Centre of Art and Culture, includes a hotel and restaurant, and continues to function as a music venue. It hosts concerts of the International Festival “Chopin in the Colours of Autumn.”
Remains
The palace is built entirely of wood, with thick timber walls, and stands on a masonry base. Its plan takes the form of a Greek cross, with an octagonal central body surrounded by four lower, three-storey wings or pavilions. The exterior is painted imperial yellow, known in German as Kaisergelb.
Main palace
Central hall
The octagonal centre contains a single large hall rising through three storeys. Its richly carved ceiling extends above the main interior space. A monumental fireplace connects to a broad chimney or chimney column covered with decorative tiles. The central column supports the roof and displays hunting trophies, especially deer antlers.
Wings and interior rooms
One wing contains a staircase leading to internal balconies. From these balconies, the living rooms in the other three wings can be reached. The adjoining pavilions contain bedrooms, a library, and a museum.
Park and commemorative features
English-style park
An English-style park of about 12 hectares surrounds the palace. It contains ponds and numerous monumental trees, most of them oaks. Several nearby historic buildings are built in the Tyrolean style.
Radziwiłł memorials
On an island in one of the ponds stands a white-marble tomb commemorating Antoni Henryk Radziwiłł’s daughters, Fryderyka Helena and Luiza. The grounds also contain a Radziwiłł family funerary chapel and a small family cemetery.
Chopin memorials
A plaque commemorating Chopin’s visits is fixed to the palace facade, while a monument or bust of the composer stands near the entrance to the palace grounds. One room preserves a death mask and a cast of one of Chopin’s hands.
Nearby sites
