A unique cork palace in Poland
In Moja Wola (formerly Kuźnica Sośniewska, a settlement in the district of Ostrów, in the Greater Poland Voivodeship in the commune of Sośnie, located on the edge of the village of Sośnie, about 25 km south-west of Ostrów Wielkopolski, Poland) there is a wooden palace on a bog iron foundation built for the Duke of Brunswick. of Oleśnica Wilhelm. The architecture of the palace refers to the Swiss style, but this is not what distinguishes it from other buildings of this type. The façades of the palace are covered with cork oak bark, which is unique on a European scale. It is one of the two buildings on our continent where such an unusual facade has been used. In our store you can also find a cork similar to a cork from this unique palace:
https://cork-shop.co.uk/product/cork-wall/wall-cork-virgin-25mm/
The palace was built in 1852. From year to year, its technical condition is deteriorating and it begins to raise concerns about the future of the building. It is said that there are only two such palaces in Europe, although all sources mention only a Polish palace and a few small pavilions, e.g. in the Roman Barbarini or on the Peacock Island in Berlin. So there is a high probability that the Polish monument is unique.
The oak bark covering the walls of the Palace in Moje Wola was specially imported from Portugal. Located in the English-style park, the palace, thanks to the unusual facade material, becomes an element of the surrounding landscape, and the whole creates an amazing atmosphere. Initially, the palace facilities were part of the Międzybórz estate, from 1886 they were the center of the property of Baron Daniel von Diergardt’s My Wola, and from 1891 his widow, Agnes von Diergardt.
After the war – like many monuments – it was nationalized, and its wooden walls housed the first female technical school in Poland, which educated foresters. They were transferred in 1975 to Stary Sącz. Until 1992, it remained in the hands of the State Forests, then it became the property of the commune, and then it was sold to a private owner. The palace and the surrounding park have been entered into the register of immovable monuments in the Greater Poland Voivodeship.
Since another private owner is unable to do anything about the precious palace, lovers of culture and monuments have gathered to save the precious building. You can follow the progress of the work of this Facebook group at the address below:
Let’s save the Palace in My Wola.