Once the von Herbersteins, today the flood victims. About the map of memories and bigos in the palace
Photo: Gorzanów Palace Foundation
Mr. Franek escaped from the water to the attic. Mr. Grzegorz and his wife to the gazebo in the allotment gardens. When the tide subsided, they had nothing to return to. Today, one of them is nicknamed “Księciunio”, and the other is the good spirit of the baroque monument – because they both live in the palace. Since the 17th-century seat of Austrian aristocrats was turned into an aid hub, it has already accommodated over 1,000 volunteers.
Gorzanów is located in the heart of the Kłodzko Land, 15 kilometers south of Kłodzko, 30 kilometers from the border with Czech Republic. There is a primary school, a community center, a mill, a railway station and three mineral water bottling plants, because its springs were discovered in the village over a hundred years ago.
The architectural treasure for which Gorzanów is famous is the Renaissance-Baroque palace – a giant, the former seat of the Austrian Herberstein family. It has 424 windows, 187 chambers and 4 courtyards. Over 6,000 square meters of area (only 100 less than Wawel), 2,000 square meters of original polychrome 17th-century ceilings, approximately 10,000 square meters of wall decorations and frescoes.
The palace in the autumn editionGorzanów Palace Foundation
The whole thing has been perfected by the owners over the last 12 years, because when they bought it in 2012, it was slowly falling apart. They patched the hole in the roof and the leaky floors, and restored the ceiling after ceiling.
In mid-September they stopped. From one day to the next, they turned into a local aid point for flood victims. Since then, over a thousand volunteers have passed under the colorful ceilings. Flood victims slept in Louise's Room, the Countess's Apartment and the Administrator's Room.
Some people live there to this day, like Mr. Franciszek. The heavy water surprised him in his one-story house at the end of the village. He waited in the attic for three days for it to subside. He was so shocked that he didn't speak to anyone for over a week.
– Today Franio is our mascot, he walks and jokes, laughs and sings – says Ola Góreczna from the Gorzanów Palace Foundation. – Franek, how is your life here?
– Well, how? Like in a palace! – replies the senior. He doesn't want to go back to his home. Anyway, he can't because the house is still damp. There has been water in his basement for three months.
The palace is preparing for the holidays. The girls are cooking bigos.
Copies of Bernini, rocks from Pompeii
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