Kornik Castle (Poland)

Its beginnings go back to the Middle Ages when the powerful Górka family were the owners of Kórnik. It is most likely the Górka family that initiated the building of the castle. Originally built in 1430, the brick fortified creation, surrounded by a moat could be approached over a drawbridge and a portcullis. Some parts of old walls and cellars survived to this day. In the 16th century the castle was rebuilt in the Renaissance style, which gave the castle its outstanding elegance. In the 18th century it underwent most alterations as Teofila Szołdrska Potulicka from the Działyński family had it rebuilt in the style of something much more palatial in feel. Two annexes at the sides of the castle were symmetrically added. At the end of the 19th century Tytus Działyński, the owner of the estate, gave the castle a picturesque fortified character. An additional floor was built and rectangular towers were added to the building from the south side. The time between the November Insurrection of 1830 and the interwar period was not kind to the castle. The lowering of groundwater level, overloading walls and shocks caused by the army marching led to enormous damage. After World War II, in 1947, the extensive restoration works started and allowed this neo-Gothic style castle to gain its splendour. The interior can boast a rich collection of furniture, other equipment as well as relics of past ages. It is the decorative parquet flooring and superb gilded ceilings which catch the eye. The castle rooms served different functions as you can find a dining room, a drawing room, bedrooms, guest rooms, a hunting room with souvenirs of Władysław Zamoyski’s many trips to different parts of the world. Since 1953 the castle with its contents and the library have been a research institute of the Polish Academy of Sciences.