equinox
5 Aug 2009
Travel / Castles and Palaces in Poland (with pictures) [155]
The Krzyżtopór ( "Cross Axe" ) Mannerist castle in Ujazd is pretty unique. The name derives from the coat of arms of the builder, voivode Ossolinski, displayed on the castle gate. What sets this castle apart is the positively kooky personality of the builder. Ossolinski seems to have been into some strange mystical / astrological ideas: the castle had 365 windows (days in a year), 52 rooms (weeks in a year) and 12 ballrooms (months in a year). To show off his wealth, Ossolinski had crystal mirrors (!) installed in his stables for his animals, and the animals were fed from marble (!) troughs. He also had a glass ceiling mounted above the dining room to enclose a large aquarium, so that tropical fish could entertain the guests as they swam above their heads. I believe it's the second largest castle in Poland after Malbork. Over the years, several proposals have been made to rebuild this strange castle; one proposal suggested that the castle be turned into a retreat for the officers of Polish People's Army. Because of the size of the complex, so far the cost has proved prohibitive (one estimate I've heard was $100M).
As far as Malbork, Frombork, Rastembork, etc. They are simply Polish medieval renditions of Marienburg, Frauenburg and Rastenburg. These names have nothing to do with Communism, nor any post-WW2 attempt at Polonization. That's how these towns were called by Poles at the time of Ducal / Royal Prussia. On the other hand, there are a few towns in the former East Prussia which were deliberately renamed after WW2. Rastembork ( German: Rastenburg ), of Wolfsschanze fame, became Ketrzyn in 1950, named after the Kashubian activist Ketrzynski.
The Krzyżtopór ( "Cross Axe" ) Mannerist castle in Ujazd is pretty unique. The name derives from the coat of arms of the builder, voivode Ossolinski, displayed on the castle gate. What sets this castle apart is the positively kooky personality of the builder. Ossolinski seems to have been into some strange mystical / astrological ideas: the castle had 365 windows (days in a year), 52 rooms (weeks in a year) and 12 ballrooms (months in a year). To show off his wealth, Ossolinski had crystal mirrors (!) installed in his stables for his animals, and the animals were fed from marble (!) troughs. He also had a glass ceiling mounted above the dining room to enclose a large aquarium, so that tropical fish could entertain the guests as they swam above their heads. I believe it's the second largest castle in Poland after Malbork. Over the years, several proposals have been made to rebuild this strange castle; one proposal suggested that the castle be turned into a retreat for the officers of Polish People's Army. Because of the size of the complex, so far the cost has proved prohibitive (one estimate I've heard was $100M).
As far as Malbork, Frombork, Rastembork, etc. They are simply Polish medieval renditions of Marienburg, Frauenburg and Rastenburg. These names have nothing to do with Communism, nor any post-WW2 attempt at Polonization. That's how these towns were called by Poles at the time of Ducal / Royal Prussia. On the other hand, there are a few towns in the former East Prussia which were deliberately renamed after WW2. Rastembork ( German: Rastenburg ), of Wolfsschanze fame, became Ketrzyn in 1950, named after the Kashubian activist Ketrzynski.