Gołuchów Castle

Gołuchów Castle, built between 1550 and 1560 by Rafał Leszczyński of the Wieniawa coat of arms, was originally an early Renaissance defensive brick structure. It featured several stories, a rectangular layout, and corner towers. In the second half of the 19th century, the castle underwent a comprehensive renovation commissioned by Izabella Działyńska née Czartoryska, who added romantic accents, including an arcaded loggia and new residential buildings. The modernization work was led by French architect Maurice Auguste Ouradou, with some elements designed according to the guidelines of Eugène Viollet-le-Duc. The castle was surrounded by a 158-hectare park-arboretum designed by Adam Kubaszewski, containing rare and exotic tree species. A notable attraction is the pedunculate oak called "Jan," with an impressive circumference of 540 cm and a height of 25 m. The park also features a mausoleum-chapel tomb of Izabella. In 2016, Gołuchów Castle was repurchased by the State Treasury for 20 million złoty. Izabella Działyńska established a museum in the castle to display her art collection, which remained open until the outbreak of World War II. After the war, the castle became a branch of the National Museum in Poznań, and today visitors can admire works by artists such as Frans Floris and ancient Greek vases. The castle is a popular venue for concerts and film shoots, including the famous series "Queen Bona" and the movies "The Academy of Mr. Kleks" from 1983 and 2023.