As part of the project "Polish-German Cross-border Cultural and Natural Heritage Centre of the Central Oder Valley Region", lovers of the region were invited on a study tour. On 4 March 2023, the participants were shown manor houses and palaces in the Dębno municipality.
A group of almost forty people, the tour began with a visit to a renovated villa, at 43 Mickiewicza Street in Dębno. The former estate of the cloth manufacturer Fritz Hildebrandt, which was revitalised as part of the project, has regained its former splendour. Thanks to the support of EU funds, the historic building from 1896 will become the Polish-German Cultural and Natural Heritage Centre of the Central Oder Valley Region. The Centre's task will be to promote the region and cooperate with regionalists, guides, cultural animators and craftspeople.
This was the first meeting in the renovated facility. The mayor of Dębno, Grzegorz Kulbicki, welcomed the guests, after which the participants were given a tour of the building, which they were delighted to see.
The group continued on to Grzymiradz, where the guide - Marek Schiller - talked about the palace, which was built in the 19th century. It is currently in private hands and fell into disrepair after a recent fire.
Another palace, which is located in Smolnica, is in good condition. The mansion took this form in the 2nd half of the 19th century. The palace park with valuable old trees has also been preserved. The magnificent mansion is now the seat of the Youth Sociotherapy Centre.
A valuable monument on the tour is the palace in Warnice. This former residence of the von Osten family is in private hands and has unfortunately fallen into ruin. However, the historic park next to the palace, which is owned by Dębno Municipality and has been revitalised in recent years, is a delight.
The next stop was the open-air museum in Krężelin. This is the smallest village in the municipality of Dębno, with a population of 14. Thanks to the hospitality of the new mayor and his wife, the participants warmed up in the village hall, drank warm coffee and ate delicious cake. The regionalists admired the old agricultural machinery and reminisced about past farm work. They also learned about the history of the old manor house, which is now used for residential purposes.
The event's destination was Dolsk, with its historic palace, which has been owned by the Mudzo family since 1992. Since then, the magnificent monument has been rising from the ruins. The history of the mansion was told by the son of the owners, Frederick Mudzo, who has already written a publication about the palace. Participants in the tour were impressed by the extent to which the building had been rebuilt. Some regionalists, remembering the collapsed roof and walls, could not believe that the palace was so beautiful. They were able to see the renovated rooms, the ballroom and, finally, enjoy a meal in the renovated cellar rooms.
The meeting was organised by the "Terra Incognita" Historical and Cultural Association from Chojna on behalf of Dębno Municipality. Regionalists from Poland and Germany took part in the event. The study tour was entitled "Manors and palaces in the municipality of Dębno - potential for German-Polish tourism cooperation in the Central Oder Valley Region" as part of the activities Practical learning about the cultural and natural heritage of the Central Oder Valley Region in project INT 154.
Funded by the project "German-Polish Cross-border Cultural and Natural Heritage Centre of the Middle Oder Valley Region" as part of the Interreg Va programme Priority axis I: Nature and Culture.
We would like to thank the following for their help in organising the event: The "Terra Incognita" Association, Marek Schiller, the mayor of Krężelin Rafał Dmytruszkiewicz and his wife, and especially Frederick Mudzo and his parents for their hospitality and the opportunity to visit the palace in Dolsk.
Emilia Jenda
