The palace in Śmiełów

The palace in Śmiełów, which holds the Adam Mickiewicz Museum inside is a monumental palace constructed in 1797 by Stanisław Zawadzki – one of the best architects of the classicism period, who also constructed the palace in Dobrzyca and the palace in Lubostroń.

The palace consists of a storeyed main corps, connected to the outbuildings with semicircular galleries. The architect’s inspiration for the palace was the Villa Badoer in Fratta Polesine, designed by Andrea Palladio. The outbuildings are covered with the so-called „Kraków roof”\

One of the greatest qualities of the palace is its location, thanks to which tourists can admire a marvelous view at the nearby meadows, along with the silhouette of the Brzostkowie church in front of the palace. The large number of niches, nooks, crannies and small rooms makes the palace feel more mysterious.

The painted decoration of the interiors was assigned to the Smuglewicz brothers – Franciszek and Antoni. Visitors should pay special attention to the iconographic program of the oval living roo, and also to a series of frescoes, which imitaste Pompeian painting.

In the western outbuilding there were guestrooms, while the eastern outbuilding, with a separate entrance to the building had a kitchen. At least part of the other economic building (the stable, the coach house and the granary) were also designed by Stanisław Zawadzki.

Hieronim Gorzeński – the son of Andrzej – took part in Napoleon’s campaign as an adjutant of marshal Louis Davout. After returning to Śmiełów, he was managing the castle’s wealth, which became famuos mostly thank to horse breeding.