Wilkau Castle

Wilkau Castle ( Polish : Pałac w Wilkowie ) is a restored manor house in Wilkowo , Gmina Świebodzin (Schwiebus), Lower Silesian Voivodeship . The castle is located on the north bank of the Wilkauer See. Historically, the place belongs to the district of Züllichau-Schwiebus , Brandenburg .

history

Atypical for the Schwiebusser Land, where most of the lands were clerically owned, Wilkau was owned by a noble family. The first recorded landlord is Bozata from the Wielkopolska family of Jelenie, probably from their Liebenau line. Documents indicate that there was a manor in Wylcowo / Wilkin in the 14th century . The construction of the aristocratic residence in the Renaissance style probably goes back to von Nostitz , who also had the neighboring goods, Klosterhof and the Weisse Hof, and who owned Wilkau as a pawn.

In 1661 Wilkau was acquired by Adam Abraham von Knobelsdorff , and in 1677 by von Sommerfeld. According to Kilian von Sommerfeld, Theodor von Sommerfeld was the owner of Wilkau after his death in 1688. Son Friedrich Wilhelm von Sommerfeld founded the village Friedrichswerde (today: Rozłogi) on the eastern edge of the estate as part of the Frederick colonization. The manor house was destroyed in a severe fire in 1763, but was restored by 1790. In 1796 Wilkau and Friedrichswerder came to Christian Achatz Georg von Horcker, from 1804 Carl Graf von Schmettau was the owner, from 1806 Cornelius Hesse.

At an auction in 1814, Princess Elisabeth Luise bought it for her son Prince August of Prussia , whose biological father may have been Count von Schmettau.

The estate was run by civil servants and the manor house was rebuilt in 1816. After Pinz August's death, August Eduard von Waldenburg inherited the estate, which included the village of Friedrichswerder and two outbuildings - the Seevorwerk (today: Pojezierze) and the Steinvorwerk (today: Krzemionka). In 1845 a fire destroyed the castle. Then were August Friedrich Roland and Friedrich August Eduard II., Then Friedrich August Eduard III. Owner, from 1925 Friedrich August Waldemar von Waldenburg.

Building

In the current structure and in its ground plan, features can be demonstrated that are typical of the Renaissance period . According to various authors, the construction period can be dated between 1550 and 1600. The entrance facade faces the southern farm buildings. The floor plan also shows features that were typical of aristocratic residences in the 16th century in Silesia and the Margraviate of Brandenburg, such as the central hall, which is offset slightly to the east and is emphasized by wide vaulted yokes. A spacious hall with a wooden beam ceiling can be reached from the hall to the west and a large hall with a ribbed vault to the east .

Originally there was certainly a stair tower attached to the side in the Renaissance castle . Presumably in the course of the baroque renovation, today's staircase was created in the hall. The outer facade has six axes on the entrance and main facade and three axes on the side facades. The corner areas were accented with sgraffito décor as a basement , of which, however, no remains can be seen today. The main access portal has been preserved to this day in a simplified form. Two pilasters flank a round-arched portal with cranked entablature that rests above it, and a triangular gable.

literature

• Wilkau / Wilkowo. (= Castles and gardens of Neumark , issue 19). 2nd Edition. Friends of the Palaces and Gardens of the Mark in the German Society

Coordinates: 50 ° 52 ′ 6.5 ″  N , 16 ° 32 ′ 10.3 ″  E