Kórnik Castle ( or ''Zamek Kórnicki'') is a castle in the Polish town of Kórnik, which was constructed in the 14th century. The current

neogothic Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic or neo-Gothic) is an architectural movement that after a gradual build-up beginning in the second half of the 17th century became a widespread movement in the first half of the 19th century ...

design and remodeling was done in 1855 partly on the basis of architect

Karl Friedrich Schinkel Karl Friedrich Schinkel (13 March 1781 – 9 October 1841) was a Prussian architect, urban planning, city planner and painter who also designed furniture and stage sets. Schinkel was one of the most prominent architects of Germany and designed b ...

's plans for

Tytus Działyński Count Tytus Adam Działyński (1796–1861, son of Ksawery, father to Jan Kanty) was a Polish nobleman, political activist and protector of arts and a Prussian politician. Biography Tytus was born into the rich and influential Polish nobl ...

and the son Jan Kanty Działyński. After last member of Działyński family Jan Kanty Działyński's death, his brother-in-law Count Władysław Zamoyski received the castle in Jan's will. Shortly before his death in 1924, the childless count willed the castle, along with an extensive art collection and the Kórnik Arboretum to the Polish state. The castle currently houses a museum and the Kórnik Library. It's one of Poland's official national Historic Monuments (''

Pomnik historii Historic Monument (, ) is one of several categories of objects of cultural heritage in Poland, objects of cultural heritage (in the singular, ''zabytek'') in Poland. To be recognized as a Polish historic monument, an object must be declared suc ...

''), as designated July 11, 2011 and tracked by the National Heritage Board of Poland.

Exterior of the castle

The current look of the castle resembles

Gothic Revival Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic or neo-Gothic) is an Architectural style, architectural movement that after a gradual build-up beginning in the second half of the 17th century became a widespread movement in the first half ...

architecture, one of the popular historicising styles in the 19th century. The main entrance to the castle is located at the northern side. Its characteristic feature is a four-centred arch at the top of the window above the entrance. Up until the

interwar period In the history of the 20th century, the interwar period, also known as the interbellum (), lasted from 11 November 1918 to 1 September 1939 (20 years, 9 months, 21 days) – from the end of World War I (WWI) to the beginning of World War II ( ...

the castle was entered through the so-called '' babiniec'' - a barbican-shaped chamber which was subsequently demolished in the years 1925–1939. The western side of the castle features an expanded

terrace Terrace may refer to: Landforms and construction * Fluvial terrace, a natural, flat surface that borders and lies above the floodplain of a stream or river * Terrace, a street suffix * Terrace, the portion of a lot between the public sidewalk a ...

overlooking Lake Kórnik. The southern side is dominated by a

chaitya A chaitya, chaitya hall, chaitya-griha, (Sanskrit:''Caitya''; Pāli: ''Cetiya'') refers to a shrine, sanctuary, temple or prayer hall in Indian religions. The term is most common in Buddhism, where it refers to a space with a stupa and a rounded ...

arch, which was probably modelled on the Royal Pavilion in

Brighton Brighton ( ) is a seaside resort in the city status in the United Kingdom, city of Brighton and Hove, East Sussex, England, south of London. Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze Age Britain, Bronze Age, R ...

and the

Islamic architecture Islamic architecture comprises the architectural styles of buildings associated with Islam. It encompasses both Secularity, secular and religious styles from the early history of Islam to the present day. The Muslim world, Islamic world encompasse ...

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

. On the eastern side, there is a Gothic Revival tower whose red brick

façade A façade or facade (; ) is generally the front part or exterior of a building. It is a loanword from the French language, French (), which means "frontage" or "face". In architecture, the façade of a building is often the most important asp ...

clearly contrasts with the rest of the castle. The tower was erected during the remodelling of the castle by Tytus Działyński. Also near the entry to the Kórnik Castle, there are historic outbuildings and a carriage house. The castle is surrounded by Kórnik Arboretum founded by Count

in the first half of the 19th century - the oldest and largest one in

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

as well as the fourth largest arboretum in

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

covering around 40 hectares and containing more than 3300

taxa In biology, a taxon (back-formation from ''taxonomy''; : taxa) is a group of one or more populations of an organism or organisms seen by taxonomists to form a unit. Although neither is required, a taxon is usually known by a particular name and ...

tree In botany, a tree is a perennial plant with an elongated stem, or trunk, usually supporting branches and leaves. In some usages, the definition of a tree may be narrower, e.g., including only woody plants with secondary growth, only ...

s and

shrub A shrub or bush is a small to medium-sized perennial woody plant. Unlike herbaceous plants, shrubs have persistent woody stems above the ground. Shrubs can be either deciduous or evergreen. They are distinguished from trees by their multiple ...

Interior of the castle

The castle presently houses the Kórnik Library and a museum showcasing numerous unique objects including historic furniture, Ukrainian and European paintings, sculptures, numismatic collections, military antiques,

porcelain Porcelain (), also called china, is a ceramic material made by heating Industrial mineral, raw materials, generally including kaolinite, in a kiln to temperatures between . The greater strength and translucence of porcelain, relative to oth ...

and silver art objects. Among the most significant works in the library are the original manuscript of Adam Mickiewicz's '' Dziady'' (Part III) and

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...

's hand-written romantic novella '' Clisson et Eugénie''. The most impressive chamber of the residence is the Moor Room, which was inspired by the Court of the Lions in

Alhambra The Alhambra (, ; ) is a palace and fortress complex located in Granada, Spain. It is one of the most famous monuments of Islamic architecture and one of the best-preserved palaces of the historic Muslim world, Islamic world. Additionally, the ...

, Spain. It was initially intended for a library but later it became a museum room featuring national works of art. In the room below the tower, there are

ethnographic Ethnography is a branch of anthropology and the systematic study of individual cultures. It explores cultural phenomena from the point of view of the subject of the study. Ethnography is also a type of social research that involves examining ...

and natural collections on display brought from

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

and

Oceania Oceania ( , ) is a region, geographical region including Australasia, Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia. Outside of the English-speaking world, Oceania is generally considered a continent, while Mainland Australia is regarded as its co ...

by Count Władysław Zamoyski who inherited the estate from his maternal uncle, Jan Kanty, in 1881.

Trivia

During the

German occupation of Poland German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

(

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

), in 1939–1940, a secret printing house of the Polish resistance movement was located in the castle. It printed the ''Biuletyn Radiowy'' underground newspaper.

Gallery

File:Kornik Castle.jpg, The castle at sunset File:Castillo de Kórnik, Kórnik, Polonia, 2016-12-21, DD 04.jpg, The castle and the moat File:Album widokow przedstawiajacych miejsca historyczne Ksiestwa Poznanskiego i Prus Zachodnich 1880 (5414336) (cropped).jpg, ''Działyński Castle in Kórnik'', by Napoleon Orda File:Castillo de Kórnik, Kórnik, Polonia, 2016-12-21, DD 13.jpg, The Gothic Revival tower of the castle on the right File:655070 muzeum w zamku Kórnik (1).jpg, Castle interiors File:Zamek Kórnik zimową porą 3.jpg, Aerial view

References

External links