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GOSZCZ Palace and Park Complex

The name of the village was probably connected with a well-known inn or tavern receiving guests and was later phonetically germanised to Goschütz. In 1604-1605 the village was purchased by the owner of the Sicovian state Abraham von Dohna. In 1686 Goszcz (then called Goschütz) was granted town rights and a coat of arms. In the town at that time there were cigar and silk manufactories, a coach workshop, a brewery, a distillery, workshops of shoemakers, a carpenter, a sculptor, a copperplate maker or a paper mill. In Europe, from the Middle Ages until the early 20th century, paper was made from rags, i.e. worn-out clothes made of linen, hemp and later cotton. The rags were sorted, stripped of their knots, washed, macerated and broken down into pulp using a hammer mill, in which the hammers were moved by a water wheel. In 1727, the town became the property of the minor Heinrich Leopold von Reichenbach, who founded the Goszcza Free State in 1744. Soon Goszcz became the seat of his family's ordination. The last entailer, Count Heinrich Raphael, had to leave his family estate in 1945, and the village was incorporated into Poland. The Baroque-Rococo palace, which is a showpiece of Goszcz and the Twardogóra Municipality, is modelled on the most famous French residences at Versailles and Vaux-le-Vicomte. It was built in 1749, after a fire in the first residence of the Reichenbach-Goschütz family - by the royal builder Martin Frantz, and then rebuilt (after another fire) in 1774. The main palace wing was built in 1749, and all the buildings in the complex were completed before 1780. The last modernisation took place between 1886 and 1888 and was led by the well-known Breslau architect Karl Schmidt. The body of the palace burnt down in 1947, but its façade and decorative stone architectural elements have been preserved to this day. The preserved façade has rich Rococo ornamentation. Particularly richly decorated is the central risalit with its attic, coat-of-arms cartouche and openwork balustrade with four sculptures (these are representations of ancient Greek deities). The former manege (riding school) and stable buildings, restored in 2013, now house (respectively) a theatre hall and a multi-purpose exhibition hall. The architectural ensemble also includes a romantic landscape park of 21 hectares, established next to the residence in the 19th century. The complex also included the Evangelical court church, whose construction was led by Johann Bouman, the Prussian king's builder. The palace was connected to the church by an orangery building (built in 1749), but only its foundations have survived. The residence is a unique example in Lower Silesia of the use of Rococo ornamentation in architecture. The whole complex resembled the architectural and park complexes at Versailles
and in Wilanów, and the palace in Goszcz is compared in the literature to Wilanów and Potsdam. A short distance from the palace and park complex is a ruined cemetery with a preserved mausoleum of the von Reichenbach family. The mausoleum was built in 1826 in the style of late Neoclassicism, with a Neo-Baroque portal. It is surrounded by the former Protestant cemetery, where the tombstones of members of the Reichenbach family who died in the wars of 1918 are still preserved.

In 2021, a major project entitled 'Restoration and revitalisation of the historic palace in Goszcz' was launched as part of the Culture Programme, co-financed by the European Economic Area Financial Mechanism 2014-2021 and the Ministry of Culture, National Heritage and Sport. The project includes both infrastructural measures, i.e. renovation, construction, installation and conservation works aimed at the structural protection of the walls of the main body of the building in the form of a permanent ruin, the conservation of the detail and the execution of works aimed at limiting irreversible destruction. This will enable the construction of a viewing platform, the installation of monument illumination fixtures, surveillance cameras and facilities for the disabled. Mapping will be available in the ruins of the palace, i.e. special illumination for selected elements of the building using projector light through a pre-prepared animation.

Goszcz is also home to the parish church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, mentioned in 1291. On the site of a Romanesque church from the 12th century, a late Baroque temple with classical elements and an 18th-century Pietà was built in 1754-79. The building was restored in 1960. At present, the church is developed and used for religious worship by the Roman-Catholic parish of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Goszcz.

Following the green or blue trail, we can go to the hamlet of Wesółka, where in the oak alley we can find the magnificent oak trees "Henryk" and "Bliźniak". The former is named after Henry III Głogowski (584 cm in circumference), while the latter is named after his double trunk (914 cm in circumference).

The palace and park complex in Goszcz, photo: municipal archive

Fragments of the Berlin Wall in Sosnówka

This is the world's largest private collection of 30 fragments of the Berlin Wall, collected and made available by Ludwik Wasecki, a dentist, performer and art collector. It can be viewed in Sosnówka, near Twardogóra.

Sosnówka 1, 56-416 Twardogóra

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Church in Chełstów

It is located at a distance of 4 km from Twardogóra. It is a monument of sacral architecture of the second class and is an example of a wooden church with a log structure. The building is currently owned by the Roman Catholic Parish of Our Lady of Help of the Faithful in Twardogóra (pl. Piastów 1, 56 - 416 Twardogóra, tel. 71 315-80-22, www.parafiatwardogora.pl). The church is used for religious worship, as a branch of the parish church in Twardogóra, and is also the destination of traditional pilgrimages from Twardogóra.

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Community Sports and Recreation Centre in Twardogóra

The offer of the Community Sports and Recreation Centre is a carefully thought-out programme of various sports and recreational events addressed primarily to the residents of the Twardogóra commune, but also to neighbouring towns and districts. The centre has extensive premises and sports facilities, ideal for training camps, "green schools" or camps. The modern infrastructure combined with the attractive, quiet surroundings makes it an interesting option for those interested in a longer stay in Twardogóra. A professionally equipped sports and entertainment hall (CEV-certified), where international volleyball matches are played, and an adjacent full-size training hall, the school swimming pool "Dolnośląski Delfinek", a swimming pool with heated water and an athletics stadium are just some of the facilities available to people using the services of the twardogórski Sports and Recreation Centre. In addition, the centre has a dining hall where one can enjoy a professional, balanced menu prepared by a dietician. The Municipal Sports and Recreation Centre in Twardogóra also provides accommodation located in three facilities. They are located in Twardogóra, Moszyce and nearby Chełstów. The accommodation base includes single and multi-bed rooms, adapted to the needs of the disabled. In addition, guests have, among other things, conference and banqueting rooms, a sauna, gyms, a computer room, a barbecue shed, aerobics rooms and recreational areas at their disposal.

Municipal Sports and Recreation Centre in Twardogóra
Wrocławska 39 Street, 56-416 Twardogóra, tel./fax 71 315 99 10, gosir.twardogora.pl

• hotel by the sports and entertainment hall, Wrocławska 39 Street, 56-416 Twardogóra
• accommodation in the community centre, Moszyce 55 a, 56-416 Twardogóra
• accommodation in the facility of the Rural Initiatives Centre, Chełstów 42, 56-416 Twardogóra

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Small retention reservoirs

On 22 April 2022, the retention facilities located in the forests of the Oleśnica Śląska Forest District were officially opened in Twardogóra. The name of the project: "Comprehensive project for the adaptation of forests and forestry to climate change - lowland small retention and the prevention of water erosion in lowland areas". Retention facilities were built in the Municipalities of Dobroszyce, Zawonia and Twardogóra. The retention facilities fulfil primarily natural functions, e.g. increasing natural diversity or increasing the resistance of the forest to climate change.

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Twardogóra - the historical centre of the town

When Eleonora Charlotta Württemberg - Mömpelgard settled in the town, she decided from the very beginning to transform and expand the town. She not only tried to provide the economic basis for its development, but also took care of the baroque urban layout. At the end of the 17th century, it became probably the most consistently used axial composition in Lower Silesia. It is the first example of this type of town planning in our part of Europe. The residence was connected to the new church by a viewing axis. And that is why we start our walk in Twardogóra from the Baroque palace with a historic park overlooking the main street of Twardogóra. The palace is classified as a Class II monument and is located at the fork of the Skorynia stream. The palace is surrounded by a park, whose beautiful old stand of trees was destroyed by a hurricane in 1988. The palace complex also includes remnants of a moat and earth ramparts on the east and north sides. The palace was the seat of the owners of the Hard Mountain and Goszczański estates.

From the park area we can walk to the former Evangelical church of the Holy Trinity and the Virgin Mary. Built from the so-called half-timbered wall, the former Evangelical church of the Holy Trinity and Mother of God (called "Lower", "Small" or "Polish") was built on the site of an earlier church, first mentioned in 1587, when the owner of Twardogóra Georg Dyhrn ordered a new ceiling and benches. After the "upper" church was built in the middle of the square in 1688-90, it served as a branch church, where services were held in Polish. The present church was built in 1877-79 by the carpenter H. Dreyser on the site of the previous one. The building is located on a terraced hill planted with hornbeams and chestnut trees.

Next to the former church is the statue of Hercules, which originally probably decorated the well of the orangery of the Goszcz chateau. Years later, the statue stood by the entrance gate to the Twardogóra palace. Having survived the fire of the palace in 1947, the demolition of the orangery in 1954 and the move to Twardogóra attributed to the students of the boarding school that was established in the former palace in Twardogóra, the statue of Hercules survived until 2008, when it was already in danger of irreversible destruction. By the decision of the authorities of Twardogóra, it was then moved to a square by the pedestrian crossing near the intersection of Wielkopolska and Bolesława Krzywoustego Streets - the statue remains there to this day. During restoration work carried out in 2011, part of the mace and hand were completed. The statue is located at the beginning of the path, which is located in two areas adjacent to the Skorynia River. The first area of the path features walking and jogging trails along both sides of the river, a children's playground, a boules area and parking spaces. In the second area, in addition to the path in the form of a wooden path, there are recreational elements forming a health path, a shelter with a separate fireplace and a car park. In the central part of the historical axis of the town, the twardogórski Market Square - with its asymmetrically located town hall and buildings from the 18th and 19th centuries. - is an extremely important element of the baroque urban layout introduced with the expansion of the town at the end of the 17th century. The town hall was built in 1902. Initially, the building housed the district court and the jail. After the war, the function of the seat of the authorities was taken over by the Town and Commune Office in Twardogóra, which it still serves today. The Baroque urban layout of the town (historical scenic axis), encloses the Minor Basilica. The neo-Gothic church of Our Lady of the Assumption of the Faithful (known as the "upper" church) is located in the centre of the so-called "upper" square (currently Piast Square). The church was built not only as a parish, but also as a refugee church (Grenzkirche) for the Habsburg inhabitants of Silesia. Services and sermons were conducted in Polish and German. When Eleonora Charlotta Württemberg - Mömpelgard settled in the town, she decided from the very beginning to transform the town, including the building of a church. At the end of the construction in 1697, bells were hung from the Duchess's foundation. There was also a clock. Unfortunately, during the lifetime of Duchess Eleonora, whose residence was the Baroque palace, the building, made of flimsy materials, caught fire in 1729. The emperor paid a special fee for its reconstruction. The cross-shaped wooden building with two storeys of galleries in the interior gained a monumental dimension on the outside. Situated on a small hill and accentuated in the city skyline by a high tower with a three-storey Baroque cupola, it became the dominant feature of the entire layout. From its consecration until it burned down in the great fire of the city in 1873, this church served its purpose. Today, the same landscape significance is still fulfilled by the neo-Gothic church built between 1874 and 1875 (designed by Carl Johann Lüdecke), which was built of rough faced brick with stone elements on the existing old foundations. Originally an Evangelical church, it was turned into a Roman Catholic church after the Second World War.
The interior of the church was extensively renovated in 1989. Today, the church is developed and used for religious worship as the Marian sanctuary of the diocese of Kalisz, which - with its miraculous statue of the Virgin Mary and Child - is a place of numerous pilgrimages.

Fot. municipal archive

Church in Grabowna Małe

The church in Grabowna Male existed since 1500, and after its destruction the present structure was built in 1655 - a detached wooden church with Gothic features, with a bell tower and a belfry connected to the temple as one unit. The church is a single-nave church, with a tie beam structure reinforced with pillars, with a tower to the west and a narrower three-sided chancel, with an interior covered with a wooden ceiling, with a coffered division with a 19th century neo-Renaissance interior and, among others, a neo-Gothic wooden main altar. The roof is covered with shingles. The church was repaired after 1666, rebuilt in the 19th century, restored in the early 20th century and more recently in 1958. Only five elements remain in their original state: the baptistery, choir, confessional, altar and pulpit. The church is currently developed and used for religious worship as the Church of the Elevation of the Holy Cross, a branch of the parish church in Bukowice.

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Forest and pond complex between villages Drozdziccin and Poręby

Within the Twardogóra commune there is a small, south-western fragment of the Barycz Valley Landscape Park to which we belong and which begins with numerous forest areas and ponds near the villages of Drożdzięcin and Poręby. They are a natural attraction of the highest quality. The waterfowl, largely comparable to those that visit the waters of the reserve, and the irresistible impression of the complete naturalness of these areas make them ideal for taking the first steps into the delightful and at the same time surprising world of nature. The complex is partially accessible for hiking and cycling via a hiking trail marked in red.

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Campus Domasławice

The place is dedicated to a wide audience: families with children, organised groups, excursions, people who want to take a break from the hustle and bustle of the city, elderly people who like peace and quiet, people with disabilities. The centre offers customers accommodation for 120 beds, a camping site (with sanitary facilities) for 80 campervans, a camping field. sports fields, a tennis court, playgrounds and a rope park. In addition, there are two restaurants on the site.

The site is a CYCLISTS-FRIENDLY SITE.

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The Twardogóra Land Museum in the Jarosław Iwaszkiewicz Secondary School Complex in Twardogóra

The history of the school museum dates back to the beginnings of the school. As early as 1957 a history teacher and later headmaster of the school, Alojzy Zielecki, encouraged the collection of historical memorabilia relating to the Twardogóra area and its inhabitants. He managed to collect numerous old prints, documents, numismatic items, material culture artefacts and edged weapons. The collections are continuously used for regional education, are made available to pupils, are used for thematic exhibitions, and are used in the preparation of theses, including master's theses. The museum can be visited during school hours by appointment (+ 48 780 289 101; +48 71 315 80 14). 

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