![Bażantarnia w Pszczynie](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/55/Ba%C5%BCantarnia_w_Pszczynie.jpg)
The Princely Pheasantry is a late 18th-century
neoclassical building in
Poręba
Poręba is a town in Zawiercie County, Silesian Voivodeship, Poland, with 8,525 inhabitants (2019). The town has the area of , and lies along National Road Nr. 78; it also has a rail station on a line from Miasteczko Śląskie to Zawiercie. Alm ...
,
Pszczyna County
__NOTOC__
Pszczyna County ( pl, powiat pszczyński) is a unit of territorial administration and local government (powiat) in Silesian Voivodeship, southern Poland. It came into being on January 1, 1999, as a result of the Polish local government re ...
,
Silesian Voivodeship, southern
Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...
. It was founded by the Prince of Pszczyna Frederick Erdmann, designed by Wilhelm Pusch and built between 1792 and 1800.
History
18th century
![Bażantarnia w Pszczynie - map 1](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/53/Ba%C5%BCantarnia_w_Pszczynie_-_map_1.jpg)
The main residence of the owners of Pszczyna State Duchy was a castle at the north-west frontage of Pszczyna market. The
castle
A castle is a type of fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by military orders. Scholars debate the scope of the word ''castle'', but usually consider it to be the private fortified r ...
burnt down in 1737. The reconstruction and extension of the destroyed building was carried out after the Pszczyna holdings were taken over by the family of
Anhalt-Köthen
Anhalt-Köthen was a principality of the Holy Roman Empire ruled by the House of Ascania. It was created in 1396 when the Principality of Anhalt-Zerbst was partitioned between Anhalt-Dessau and Anhalt-Köthen. The first creation lasted until 1562 ...
(
Catherine the Great
, en, Catherine Alexeievna Romanova, link=yes
, house =
, father = Christian August, Prince of Anhalt-Zerbst
, mother = Joanna Elisabeth of Holstein-Gottorp
, birth_date =
, birth_name = Princess Sophie of Anhal ...
came from
Anhalt-Zerbst branch of this family). As a result, an impressive baroque residence was created. At the end of the 18th century the Pheasantry in Poręba was constructed.
The idea of starting a farm devoted to raising
pheasants arose in 1770. Steps were taken in order to obtain the necessary land. At first some plots of land belonging to peasants were repurchased, and later an extensive birch forest was added (thanks to an exchange of land made by the village leader Greycark). Through land reclamation processes, the water conditions were changed, creating ponds and streams as well as the system of roads and paths. With a planting scheme, the overall design was given to the composition of the park – forest landscaping. Through further exchanges of land with peasants, the land joining the future farm with the bordering road from Pszczyna to
Żory was obtained. Having the land it was possible to realize the farming – landscape project provided by the princely architect W. Pusch. Some picturesque, crisscrossing tracks were created as well as outbuildings, a house for the pheasant keeper, and a wooden villa called "Henry’s Spring".
On the hill, slightly off the path on its ridge, Frederick Erdmann ordered the building of a summer house (Lustschloss), based on Pusch’s design, which was modeled on a previously published project by
Carl Gotthard Langhans
Carl Gotthard Langhans (15 December 1732 – 1 October 1808) was a Prussian master builder and royal architect. His churches, palaces, grand houses, interiors, city gates and theatres in Silesia (now Poland), Berlin, Potsdam and elsewhere bel ...
. Although there is no knowing of when precisely the construction began, we know exactly when the building was put into use – 25 June 1800. Only the castle itself, later called “Fasanerie” – The Pheasantry, has remained. Frederick Erdmann died in 1797 before his project was finalized, and the construction was completed by his son Frederick Ferdinand.
The Pheasantry is a typical classical building of a rectangular plan with a high, square hip roof, a bricked front facing south and a five-axis front elevation decorated with a four-pillar portico preceded by steps. In the 20th century the building was extended by adding a north-west wing. In the fringe parts of elevations you can find panels with windows: the bottom ones being rectangular and the upper ones semi-circular. The drawing-room has a ceiling with a facet and an orchestra and choir balcony is situated on the first floor level. The entrances and windows have flat frames with keystones. Until now a clear layout of the interior has been remained, that being two sections with a wide shallow entryway and a storied drawing room with bevel edges.
19th century
In the 19th century additional buildings were constructed - the palace commonly known as the Palace of Prince Christian, Manor House Ludwikówka, Hunting Manor House (on Żorska Street) and the Hunting Castle in Promnice. In the Pszczyna archives there is a description of the interior. On the ground floor there was a hall with a table, chairs, bench and a desk; the storied drawing room had a balcony equipped with eight benches padded with black linen, a round sofa, two big mirrors, a chandelier, eleven wall candelabras and a round stove; the ladies' chamber had a sofa, six chairs, a table, a two-way mirror and a partition by the fireplace; a smoking room was equipped with a sofa and eleven reed chairs; and a billiard room. There were also a few rooms in the attic. The Poręba Palace was devoted mainly to entertainment.
In contrast to the dignified and formal interiors of Pszczyna Castle, the Pheasantry was a "true temple of fun and joy". The ballroom of the Pheasantry was decorated with festoons of fruit and numerous bouquets of flowers. Guests from the town and its environs were invited to balls organized to celebrate princely birthdays. A particularly ceremonious birthday party was organized for Princess Augustina Esperanza Fredericka von Reuss - Henry Anhalt’s wife (Henry Anhalt ruled the duchy in the years: 1818-1830 and 1841-1846) whose birthday coincided with that of King Frederick William III of Prussia. The Palace in Poręba and Pszczyna Castle were brightly lit for parties. The celebrations usually started at midday with a sumptuous dinner and numerous toasts, and after the dinner there was the partying which lasted well into the small hours. Plenty of toasts were proposed during the parties, accompanied by trumpets and drums. Up to 3,500 people took part in a single party.
[480 people attended the ball on 13 January 1822, organized for the people who helped to put out the fire of Pszczyna Castle that broke out on 19 December 1821.]
![Bażantarnia in Pszczyna - map 2](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4c/Ba%C5%BCantarnia_in_Pszczyna_-_map_2.jpg)
It must be assumed that the popularity of the Pheasantry was over with the death of the last member of the Anhalt family. After the reconstruction in 1870-1874 (already under Hochbergs ruling) formal parties took place in Pszczyna Castle.
20th century
![Sala główna](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/45/Sala_g%C5%82%C3%B3wna.JPG)
During World War I the
General Staff
A military staff or general staff (also referred to as army staff, navy staff, or air staff within the individual services) is a group of officers, enlisted and civilian staff who serve the commander of a division or other large military un ...
of the
German Imperial Army
The Imperial German Army (1871–1919), officially referred to as the German Army (german: Deutsches Heer), was the unified ground and air force of the German Empire. It was established in 1871 with the political unification of Germany under the l ...
were based in Pszczyna (called "little Berlin" at the time). The Pheasantry was visited by the Emperor of Germany and many officials, who were enthusiastic consumers of the pheasants.
In 1922 Prince John Henry XV used the Pheasantry as an elegant inn that hosted such figures as Polish President
Ignacy Mościcki
Ignacy Mościcki (; 1 December 18672 October 1946) was a Polish chemist and politician who was the country's president from 1926 to 1939. He was the longest serving president in Polish history. Mościcki was the President of Poland when Germany ...
, Deputy Prime Minister
Eugeniusz Kwiatkowski
Eugeniusz Kwiatkowski (30 December 1888, Kraków – 22 August 1974, Kraków) was a Polish politician and economist, Deputy Prime Minister of Poland, government minister and manager of the Second Polish Republic.
Biography
He studied at the pr ...
, and the elite of Silesia and Warsaw. Winter sports were practiced in the surrounding park, including skiing, ski jumping and ice-skating; while in the summer it was used for running, cycling and horse riding. It was a popular weekend destination before the new road to Bielsko-Biała was built. In 1937 John Henry XV sold the palace and the building continued to be an inn. Towards the end of World War II it was used as a regimental headquarters for the
Wehrmacht
The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the ''Heer'' (army), the ''Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmacht''" replaced the previous ...
. During the war and after the Pheasantry also housed workers from the former princely properties.
On 20 January 1965 the Pheasantry was listed on the national register of historic monuments (No. A/504/65). In the 1970s "Pniówek" coalmine took it over and used it for housing. The annexes were demolished and the interiors renovated to the basic style of the 1970s. The building served as a pub and held such events as the Miners' Day celebrations.
21st century
![Bażantarnia in Pszczyna - arabian room](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/25/Ba%C5%BCantarnia_in_Pszczyna_-_arabian_room.jpg)
Having completed the restoration in 2011, the new owners opened the renovated building to the public and returned it to its original function. On the ground floor you can find a big ball room with dining room and dining facilities that can hold over 100 guests. Upstairs there is a capacious conference room and three apartments. It is located within a natural park, and owned by the State Forests. It is a popular destination for cyclists and hikers.
References
External links
The official website
{{coord, 49, 59, 23, N, 18, 53, 34, E, region:PL_type:landmark, display=title
History of Silesia
Pszczyna County
Buildings and structures in Silesian Voivodeship
Manor houses in Poland
Neoclassical architecture in Poland