The origins
The origins of Nawojowa village date back to the year 1320, when it was founded as a feudal village by the Krakow Castellan Nawoj bearing the “Topór” (“Hatchet”) coat of arms. In the 16th century, it belonged to Piotr Nawojowski, who built a brick manor here in the years 1580-1590. Later, the estate was purchased by Grzegorz Branicki. In 1601, he in turn sold it to the Lubomirski family, who owned it until 1713. Later, its owners changed several times, until in 1799 it finally became the property of Count Franciszek Stadnicki of the “Szreniawa” coat of arms. His descendants developed the estate and transformed it into their family residence.
During World War II, the occupying forces stationed in the palace and in 1945 the estate of the Stadnicki family was taken over by the State.
Since 1982 it had been the seat of the National Animal Farming Technical Secondary School and more recently – the Agricultural Counselling Centre of Małopolska and the Agency for Restructuring and Modernisation of Agriculture.
The image depicts Count Franciszek Stadnicki, 18th century, and a photo of the coat of arms of the Stadnicki family – Szreniawa.
By virtue of the decision of the Minister
of Agriculture and Rural Development of 2013, the palace and park complex in Nawojowa was returned to the heirs of Count Adam Stadnicki. Staroste Jan Golonka signed the document confirming “transfer of ownership title” to the park and palace complex and handed it over to Mr. Andrzej Mańkowski, the heir of the Count, while Mr. Andrzej Stadnicki, the grandson of the Count, received a symbolic key to the palace doors. The rightful owner of the estate, Mr. Adam Stadnicki, with a passion for forestry, created a natural foundation for the later Poprad Landscape Park. He also built churches and supported the poor. Under his rule, small-scale trade and industry thrived and education developed.
His descendants are a guarantee that the Palace in Nawojowa will be restored to its original glory and become a meeting place for the cultural, artistic and business circles. These tasks are realised by a company established specially for this purpose – Pałac w Nawojowej spółka z o. o. (Limited Liability Company).
Images (top-down): The Mańkowski and Stadnicki family in front of the palace in Nawojowa. Count Andrzej Stadnicki receives the symbolic key to the palace. Documents are handed over to Count Andrzej Mańkowski. Archive photos, source: http://archiwum.sadeczanin.info
The Stadnicki Palace
consists of two perpendicular wings. The older part, which includes the Renaissance manor of Piotr Nawojowski, is a two-storey building, with buttresses and small towers on the corners. The floor plan of the building is symmetrical, with the vestibule in the axis. The original stone vaults are preserved in the cellars, along with portals, ovens and floor tiling on the upper floors and painted tariff ceilings in some of the rooms.
The older part of the palace is connected to the new wing by a six-floor high tower. The new, west wing was constructed on a three-road plan, with a rysalit on the west side. After several reconstructions at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, it became modernist, with neogothic elements.
The Stadnicki Palace in Nawojowa, beginning of the 20th century. Photo: archive.
The most important
modifications were introduced by Adam Stadnicki in the first 30 years of the 20th century. His office was on the ground floor, and above it was the so-called winter garden with a glass roof. The library and drawing room were on the first floor and the children’s bedrooms were on the second floor. In this part of the palace, the interior decorations such as windows, doors, portals, fireplaces, ovens, and mirror frames remained in their historical, 19th century forms.
The park arrangement surrounding the palace was created in 1840, on the initiative of Edward Stadnicki. The trees include, among others, a platan tree, tulip tree and red oaks planted in the 1840s, as well as thuyas, taxodium, hemlock, Douglas fir and Cercidiphyllum japonicum (Katsura) that have grown there since the beginning of the 20th century.
Top-down: Count Adam Zbigniew Leon Stadnicki The couple Adam and Stefania Stadnicki. Text: B. Sanocka (2008)