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History of the Krasiczyn Castle |
Located
on the Przemyśl - Sanok route, near the crossing of the River San, the
castle in Krasiczyn is one of the most beautiful monuments of the
Polish Renaissance. Its construction was begun in 1580 by Stanisław
Krasicki, the descendant of Mazovian yeomanry, and completed by his
younger son Marcin in 1633. Marcin Krasicki, considered one of the
greatest patrons of the arts in Poland at the time, transformed the
heavy fortified castle built by his father into a magnificent
aristocratic residence. Stanisław Krasicki named the castle Krasiczyn,
derived from his name. The small town that developed next to the castle
took the same name.
Despite a great many fires and wars, the castle
has been preserved in practically unchanged outside shape from the 17th
century. Built on the plan of a quadrangle, it was oriented so that its
walls faced the four quarters of the world. Four cylindrical towers
stand in the corners: the Divine, Papal, Royal and Noblemen's.
The rectangular, spacious courtyard is surrounded by living quarters in
the north and east, and by curtain walls topped with a beautiful
openwork attic in the south and west. In the middle of the western wing
is the entrance, with a gate and a square-based Clock Tower. The road
from the once-existing town to the castle led through here, across a
drawbridge that was later replaced with a stone bridge.
Among the castle's most valuable architectural
elements is the chapel in the Divine Tower, often compared to the
Zygmunt Chapel at Wawel Castle in Kraków. Also worth noting are the
richly carved portals, loggias, arcades, and the unique murals -
sgraffito (their total area is estimated at about 7,000 sq. m).
Construction work was carried out under the
supervision of Italian architects, while the interior decorations were
the work of Przemyśl artists.
The importance of the castle and its prominence
in the past is proved by the visits of Polish kings: Sigismund III
Vasa, Władysław IV, Jan Kazimierz, and August II.
After the Krasicki family died out, the castle
and estate was inherited in turn by the Modrzewski, Wojakowski, Tarło,
Potocki, and Piniński families. The last family sold the property to
Prince Leon Sapieha in 1835. The Sapieha family, who were Krasiczyn's
owners until 1944, contributed greatly to its development. They
renovated the castle, established a sawmill, a brewery, and a
farming-machinery factory. They were very active in developing the
region's economic and social life.
After the state took over the Krasiczyn castle
and estate, after World War II, a Forestry School was located here, and
in the 1970's the Passenger Car Factory (FSO) in Warsaw took patronage
over the facility.
In 1996, as part of the process of FSO's
liquidation, the Castle-and-Park Complex in Krasiczyn was taken over by
the Industrial Development Agency (ARP) S.A. in Warsaw. The renovation,
construction and conservation work carried out by the ARP has turned
the Castle-and-Park Complex in Krasiczyn into a modern tourist, hotel,
and catering base. The top class of this facility and the high quality
of services offered at the Castle-and-Park Complex in Krasiczyn has
been confirmed by its acceptance (in 2000) into European Castle Hotels
& Restaurants - the elite association grouping hotels and
restaurants located in historic buildings.
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