Palace

The palace in Podwilcz dates back to 1895. It was likely built on the foundations of a previously existing manor house. The palace was commissioned by the Podevils family, who owned the estate in Podwilcz from the Middle Ages until the early 20th century. The palace is built in the Neo-Gothic style. The palace has a volume of 8,000^m³. The building is laid out in an L-shape, with the facade facing east. It consists of a main body and a north wing. The palace is a two-story building with a usable attic and a basement. The front facade features an imposing projection housing the main entrance to the palace, surmounted by a balcony. The building has a gable roof; the windows on the ground floor are rectangular, while those on the first floor and in the projection are pointed-arch. In the southeast corner stands a charming turret with an adjacent single-story veranda. The side wing of the building was likely erected between 1890 and 1895. It was built on a rectangular plan. The wing is adorned with a two-story tower featuring a partially habitable attic. The interior layout consists of two bays, with a hall on the building’s transverse axis that spans both bays. The staircase is located in the rear bay. In the wing, the staircase is located in the tower, and the layout of the rooms is irregular. The staircase leading from the main foyer was very grand, and a large stained-glass window once towered above it; nothing remains of it today. Reportedly, the palace is connected to the family cemetery by an underground tunnel through which a spring flows. The palace is surrounded by a park with the family cemetery, two small buildings—one two-story structure, the former caretaker’s house, and a single-story stone outbuilding, the former coach house or garage. A driveway leads up to the palace. The palace is surrounded by a fence, which is also falling into ruin. Next to the building is a pond, which is damaging the palace’s foundations because it constantly floods its basements. A beautiful cast-iron gate leads into the palace grounds. After the war, the palace was seized by Soviet troops, who looted it. The cemetery located near the palace suffered a similar fate. Later, the palace was nationalized and converted into an orphanage. In the late 1960s, the palace was taken over by the National Territorial Defense Forces, and from 1972 onward, by the Copper Mining and Smelting Complex—Polkowice Mining Works, which used it as a vacation facility for employees’ children. A comprehensive renovation of the building was also begun at that time. Unfortunately, the scale of the work exceeded the financial capabilities of the owner at the time, so the palace was transferred to the Białogard Municipality in 1981. The municipality also faced difficulties in renovating the property and sold the palace to a private individual in 1987. Today, the palace lies in ruins. The current owner is doing nothing to repair or restore it. Its condition deteriorates year by year, with significant damage to the facades, the roof, and the central risalit. It is impossible to tour the interior of the palace. The owner of the property is hostile toward visitors, especially those who take photographs of the site. The building can be admired from the outside, but the owner does not approve of that either. It is best to view this architectural masterpiece from a distance.