Pałac Von Münchhausen
Pałac Von Münchhausen is an abandoned castle in western Poland. The former estate of the Jesuits, and later the residence of Prussian noble families, survived the historical turmoil in relatively good condition. Today it is abandoned and waits for someone to give it a new life.
The castle dates back to a farm that belonged to the Glaubitz noble family in the first half of the 14th century. It is built in a small village along the old trade route leading from the Czech Republic to Silesia. Later an Augustinian monastery was built here, but it was destroyed in 1622. In 1624, the Jesuits founded a manor here. The current complex was built using the walls of this old manor house.
Von Münchhausen
In 1773, the Jesuits order was dissolved, and for this reason the estate became the property of the state. The palace was later purchased by count Friedrich Wilhelm von Reden, and eventually it fell into the hands of the Von Münchhausen family. The castle was thoroughly rebuilt by the on Münchhausen family in 1840–1844 and again in 1872. The estate belonged to the family until 1945.
Second World War
In the years 1944–1945, the castle housed the headquarters of the nearby Luftwaffe airfield. The Red Army occupied the residence after the war was over.
A few years later, the building housed offices and apartments for employees of the nearby State Agricultural Farm. In the following years, the facility also served as a recreation center for children and teenagers.
The castle was surrounded by a park with ponds, and the estate included among other things a sawmill, a water mill, a brewery, a distillery, an oil mill and a sugar refinery. There is a mausoleum of the Münchhausen family opposite the palace.
Currently, the palace is in private hands. Unfortunately, the owner shows no interest in the monument, and the building is gradually falling into ruin. I visited the castle in 2020.
