History

Radziejowice

Radziejowice is a small village in the south-western part of Mazovia, surrounded by the picturesque remnants of the former Jaktorów Forest on the banks of the Pisia Gągolina River. Thanks to its landscape and defensive qualities, a representative seat of the Radziejowski family was constructed here in the fifteenth century, attracting the country’s political, artistic, and intellectual elite in later centuries. The turbulent history of the residence, as if in a lens, reflects the complex history of Poland. The first known owner of Radziejowice was Andrzej – progenitor of the Radziejowski family, a subject of the Dukes of Mazovia, who at that time were not subject to the king. As a strong advocate for incorporating Mazovia into the Polish Crown, his son was richly rewarded by the king: during the reign of Sigismund I the Old, he was made Voivode of Płock. It can be stated that he “inherited wooden Radziejowice and left them fortified with stone and brick”: at the end of his life, next to the wooden court, he built a stone residential tower.

Stanisław Radziejowski

Stanisław Radziejowiski was the most famous of the whole family, he was a senator and a trusted advisor to the king. He had a large estate: beside Radziejowice, he also owned Kampinos, Bolimów, Wilkowo and Mszczonów. His first wife was a close relative to John III Sobieski; however, through his second marriage, he entered the ranks of the Lithuanian-Ruthenian magnate class. As the owner’s status increased, Radziejowice developed alongside it. Stanisław extended the tower and built the palace, much bigger than the current one (as evidenced by walls uncovered in 1997). From this period date fragments of the former stonework preserved in the facades of the Castle, as well as sandstone window surrounds with Latin inscriptions in the eastern and southern parts of the building. It was said that Radziejowice could accommodate over 1,000 guests. Stanisław often took advantage of this fact by hosting lavish events attended by Sigismund III Vasa, among others. The significance of Stanisław Radziejowski – and, by extension, of his family seat – is evidenced by the fact that King Władysław IV served as godfather at his son’s baptism. John III Sobieski also stayed in Radziejowice, as did the papal nuncio Mario Filonardi and Madame de Guebriant serving as the French ambassador.
Primate Michał Radziejowski was another member of the family who contributed to the expansion the family estate. The present form of the Palace is largely owed to him. What is more, he was responsible for expanding the Primate’s Palace, as well as Czapski Palace, both in Warsaw.

After Michał Radziejowski’s death, the estate was inherited by his nephews: the Prażmowski family of the Belina coat of arms, who sold it in the mid-eighteenth century. The buyer was most likely the Marshal of France, Ulrich Friedrich Waldemar von Löwendal, whose daughter married Aleksander Ossoliński. One of their daughters, Anna, was gifted Radziejowice as part of her dowry. Her husband was Kazimierz Krasiński of the Ślepowron coat of arms. The estate was gradually enhanced by the Krasiński family over a period of 130 years. Architect Jakub Kubicki, who served as the architect of King Stanisław August, was commissioned and gave the Palace its classical appearance. According to his design, a neo-Gothic Castle was built on the site of the medieval structure. The forms given by Kubicki can still be seen in the interior today, and the palace facade is almost identical to the one from the nineteenth century. At the same time, an English landscape park was laid out around the residence, and the Larch Mansion was built as the residence of the estate administrator.

The Krasiński family aimed to make Radziejowice a cultural and intellectual centre for Warsaw. Regular visitors included, among others: Narcyza Żmichowska, Wiktor Gomulicki, Wojciech and Juliusz Kossak, Lucjan Rydel, Jarosław Iwaszkiewicz, Henryk Sienkiewicz, Józef Chełmoński. In 1928, the first film adaptation of “Pan Tadeusz” was shot in Radziejowice. During World War II, the Palace housed a hospital for German soldiers in the Palace. In 1945, Radziejowice were handed over to the Municipal National Council, and were later taken over by the Ministry of Culture. Since 1965, the Palace has functioned as the Dom Pracy Twórczej (Creative Work Centre). Over a period of 30 years, Jerzy Waldorff was a permanent resident here. Today, in the Palace, there is the largest collection of works by Józef Chełmoński in Poland. Numerous theatrical performances, workshops, outdoor art sessions, and concerts are also organised here, including the annual Jerzy Waldorff Summer Festival.